Flowers of Sadness: Crystals of the Soul
by lavadiamond10
Summary: "I can't let mother go back. If she goes back, this family will fall apart. She's not going to tell anyone; I was lucky to overhear her. I can't let her do this. If this monster wants a body for his powerful flowers...he can take mine."
1. Family Breakfast

The golden sun rose, shining its warm light on the fertile earth. The light soon reached the roof of a barn and a small cottage. The rooster crowed its sunrise call, waking up the family inside. Saffi woke up with the smell of breakfast lingering up to the upper levels of the cottage.

"Smells like Floriane's up." She said as her husband also got out of bed.

"Yes, I agree." Fabrice said as he looked at his wife. "Her sisters need to make breakfast one of these days."

"I know." Saffi said, as she got dressed. "I spoiled them too much."

"No one blames you, not even me. It doesn't surprise me that Sorrel, Brenna and Newell act the way they do."

"They know what it's like to be in the upper class." Saffi said before they left the room. "Now I've dragged us down to the lower class."

"You didn't drag us down. Those darn doctors did..." Fabrice pointed out, "and those pirates stealing your ships."

"The one thing we can agree with is that I was lucky to have enough money to have this farm...otherwise we would be begging out on the streets." Saffi thought out loud. "I don't even want to picture the behavior Sorrel, Brenna and Newell would lash out." Suddenly, there was a knock on their bedroom door. It slowly opened and a young man peeked in.

"Good morning, Tanner." Fabrice said with a smile.

"Good morning, father, mother." Tanner said opening the door wider. "Breakfast is almost done."

"Are your siblings down there?" Saffi asked and Tanner shook his head 'no'. _'I had a feeling that they wouldn't.'_ Saffi thought to herself. "I'll go wake them up. You two go down and get some food." The men looked at each other and back to Saffi, nodding their heads at her.

* * *

Floriane listened to the sizzling of the eggs cooking on the pan as she waited for the rest of her family come downstairs. She already was expecting her sisters judging her cooking. She knew that her elder half-sisters and elder half-brother were still very upset over the loss of the family riches. Her mother, father, Tanner and herself were the only ones who could accept the situation they were in.

She soon heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs. Floriane turned around and saw her father and Tanner coming. She put the cooked eggs on separate plates and brought the plates to the table.

"Morning, Floriane." Fabrice said when she came out of the kitchen.

"Morning Father." She said as she gave him his breakfast. She then gave her brother his plate. "Where's mother?"

"Getting your half-siblings out of bed." Fabrice answered and Floriane rolled her eyes.

"Their breakfast is going to be cold by the time they get down here." Floriane said as she went back to the kitchen. When she came back out of the kitchen, she heard the groaning sounds of her mother. She looked out and saw her mother...by herself. Floriane rolled her eyes again and brought out her mother's breakfast and her own.

"Those three." Saffi grumpily said as she sat down at the table.

"Let me guess: they don't want to get out of bed." Tanner guessed and his mother nodded 'yes'. Floriane shook her head, guessing it right that her siblings are going to have a cold breakfast. After she sat down at the table, the four of them ate in silence. Floriane knew that her half-siblings weren't happy with anything with their lives now.

* * *

Floriane and her family lived on farmland for six years. They used to live in a city with the upper class, but it was taken away when pirates stole ships that belonged to Saffi. Saffi's first husband, who was Sorrel, Brenna and Newell's father, originally owned the ships. He passed away after getting sick on one of his travels to distant lands. After he died, he left his fortune to Saffi and their children, including his four ships.

Saffi was heart-broken after her first husband died. She believed that she couldn't love again, but one year later, she met Fabrice. She felt something that she didn't think she would feel again. Fabrice helped open her heart again. They married six months later and brought Tanner and Floriane into their lives. Everyone was living comfortably until Floriane turned nine.

When Floriane was nine, she fell ill. Ever since then, Saffi had been paying doctors to figure out what was wrong with Floriane. No doctor that Saffi paid could figure out what was wrong or they said Floriane was faking it. Saffi became very angry over the fact that no one could figure out what was wrong with her youngest daughter. To make matters worse, two years later, pirates raided and stole Saffi's ships.

Saffi lost almost all the fortune that her first husband left her. All she had left was enough money to buy a land plot in the country. She used it to buy a farm so that they could still make a living. Sorrel, Brenna and Newell had never accepted the fact that they were now poor. Tanner and Floriane decided to accept it because they knew that complaining about it, like their elder half-siblings, would make things worse.

Ever since they started living on a farm, Floriane and Tanner helped their parents with farm-work. Sorrel, Brenna and Newell didn't want anything to do with farm-work. The only reason that they would do anything was the threat of being kicked out of the house. Saffi didn't want to resort to that, but she and Fabrice agreed that Tanner and Floriane shouldn't be the only ones working. Nine years had passed and the family was still working on the farm and Floriane was still feeling the affects of her illness.

* * *

"So...what do we need to do today?" Fabrice asked his family.

"The cows need to be milked." Floriane answered.

"Sheep need to be sheared and the eggs collected." Tanner added.

"The vegetables need to be picked and a trip to the market is needed." Floriane decided to add in; her parents looked at each other and nodded their heads.

"What do we need at the market?" Saffi asked.

"Meat." Tanner admitted, "I don't want to think of what Newell will say about not having meat on his plate." Fabrice rolled his eyes; he had a feeling that's why his children mentioned a market trip.

 _"He always whines on why he should have meat on his plate."_ Fabrice thought to himself. "We'll think about it." He said out loud.

"There is another reason." Floriane finally said and her mother looked at her with surprise. "There was a small spinning wheel there...and I want to try and to learn to spin yarn." Saffi looked at Fabrice and he looked back at her. "Hmm, that reaction is enough for me to know." Floriane said as she gathered the dirty dishes. She then went back to the kitchen; not realizing her big brother followed her.

"What do you think, Fabrice?" Saffi asked, "Maybe we should get the spinning wheel."

"Why?"

"It will keep Floriane inside. We won't have to worry too much about her getting sick again when she goes outside."

"That...or we can get Sorrel or Brenna do it." Fabrice added, "It's time for them to do some work around here."

"I agree." Saffi groaned, "I've made such a mess." Fabrice reached out and gently held his wife's hands.

"Fate works in many mysterious ways, sweetheart. Maybe there's a reason behind this."

"I just wish that I knew."

* * *

"I'm surprised that you were brave enough to ask." Tanner said.

"Well, I was thinking of another way for us to earn money." She admitted, "We're lucky to have the money we have selling milk, eggs, half our vegetables and the wool. Selling yarn might give us a little more, but the look on mother and father's face was enough for me to know that we don't have the money for a spinning wheel."

"You never know." Tanner said, "They...could've said yes." Floriane just smiled at her brother. She knew that he was only trying to make her feel better. Ever since she got sick, Tanner was always there to bring a smile to her face.

"I need to clean the dishes before I go and help mother with the cows."

"Are you sure that you're up for helping mother?" Tanner asked; Floriane rolled her eyes and looked at her brother.

"I'll be okay." She said, "If I wasn't, I would tell you and our parents."

"No, you wouldn't." Tanner pointed out, "You don't like telling anyone when you're not feeling your best."

"I would rather be working while I'm sick than have Sorrel and Brenna come after me."

"I see that point," Tanner added, "but I would gladly take care of you and keep them away from you when you're not feeling well."

"Well, I'm serious this time that I'm fine. I'll be able to help mama with the cows and the chickens."

"You better be serious this time." Tanner said, "It will kill me to know that you were sick again and I didn't stop you."

"I know." Floriane said in a kind voice. She knew that her brother was looking out for her. He wouldn't forgive himself if something bad happened to her. "Well...shall we get started for today?" Tanner looked at his sister and nodded 'yes'. He went out the back door and she went to the barn.


	2. Morning Chores

"Here, chick, chick, chick." Floriane said as she spread out the chicken feed on the ground. The red, white and black bird scrambled out of the shed and went after the feed, like it was their last meal. Floriane quickly got out of the way before they pecked at her feet.

While the chickens ate the feed, Floriane went inside the shed. Floriane didn't wait on her mother to come out to join her for the morning chores. Saffi decided to try again to wake up her three eldest children. Floriane already predicted that Sorrel, Brenna and Newell weren't going to come to breakfast, so why should she think that they would come down to help with morning chores.

When Floriane was done collecting, she collected sixteen eggs out of the twenty nests. She left the shed, put the eggs in the kitchen and headed towards the barn. She went to the barn and, much to her surprise, saw her mother and her two half-sisters. It was very obvious that Sorrel and Brenna were very upset. Floriane kept her mouth closed as she walked over to the fourth cow. The last thing Floriane wanted were her half-sisters to lash out at her after being forced to come out and help. When all the cows were empty, Saffi said the milk had to be poured into barrels and placed in the basement.

"Let Floriane do it!" Sorrel complained, "I'm going to back to bed."

"Oh no, you're not!" Saffi argued as she grabbed her daughter's shoulder. "You and Brenna are going to help us get those barrels downstairs."

"Why?" Sorrel whined, "Those barrels are heavy!"

"Let's see: you say the barrels are heavy and yet, you and Brenna are wrestle with each other every time you start a fight." Saffi pointed out, "Quit your whining and help your sister!"

"Half-sister." Brenna whispered under her breath. Saffi got very irritated when she heard that. She raised her hand and slapped Brenna in the face.

"You say that again, Brenna, and you'll find yourself sleeping with the chickens." Saffi warned; Brenna just held where she got slapped as she looked at her mother with anger. Floriane just stayed out of the angry conversation. She tried to control the urge to flinch when Brenna pointed out that they were half-sisters.

* * *

Floriane, Sorrel and Brenna didn't have a close relationship, but before Floriane was sick, the three of them would enjoy each other's company. After Floriane turned nine and fell ill, Sorrel and Brenna kept their distance from her. In their eyes, they would still be living in the city if Floriane didn't get sick. They believed that, despite losing their mother's ships, they still would've been in the upper class if their mother hadn't wasted money on doctors for Floriane.

Brenna and Sorrel kept their distance and didn't want anything to do with Floriane anymore. They also didn't want to leave the house because they didn't want any of their wealthy friends to see them and end up being mocked and ignored by them. It crushed them when eligible men stopped courting them because the girls didn't have money and didn't wear richly dresses. Sorrel and Brenna stayed inside the home and refused to do anything. They did whatever they could to make Floriane do chores or anything they refused to do. The sisters believed that since their mother wasted money on their half-sister, then Floriane should be the one working to get it back.

* * *

After an angry threat from their mother, Sorrel and Brenna, with a red swollen right cheek, helped Floriane move the barrels down to the basement. Sorrel and Brenna were very upset, but Floriane stayed silent. Any word that Floriane said, her half-sisters would jump on it and try to throw back with some harsh words. When they got the third and final barrel down to the basement, the girls went back to their mother.

"Thank you for the help." Saffi said to her two eldest daughters. They just groaned and eyed their little sister. Floriane tried not to pay attention, but she couldn't help but briefly look at them.

"Can we go back inside now?" Sorrel whined; Saffi rolled her eyes and nodded 'yes'. Sorrel and Brenna made a direct path back to the house.

"Well...our chores are done now." Floriane finally spoke, "Is there anything that we need to do, mama?"

"I don't think so. We might as well check on your father and brother...in case they need help." Floriane just nodded and followed her mother to the field. When they got to the field, they saw Fabrice and Tanner gathering the corn. Fabrice saw them when they came into his view.

"Tanner, you can take a break." He said to his son. When Tanner heard that, he felt relieved. He walked over to the wheelbarrow and sat down in the dirt.

"You two have been working hard." Saffi pointed out.

"Yes," Fabrice answered, "the corn is finally ripe enough to be picked. Hopefully we'll have a good harvest." Floriane just smiled at her father and walked over to her brother. "We got lucky with the corn." Fabrice said in a softer voice, not wanting his children to hear them. "I didn't think it would get ripe enough to picked this year. The potatoes are small; I don't think a lot of people would want tiny potatoes on their plates."

"So what you're telling me that we're this side of not starving this winter?" Saffi asked and Fabrice nodded 'yes'.

"We may have to take that trip into the market just in case." Fabrice said, "Tanner told me that we don't have anymore flour."

"Okay, I can go after lunch." Saffi said, "I want either you or Tanner to come along. Flour is heavy." Fabrice nodded in agreement as he looked back at his son and daughter. He hoped that this winter wouldn't be as horrible as some of the others.

* * *

"I can't believe that mother pulled us out of bed to milk the cows!" Sorrel complained to Brenna. "She expects us to do farm-work with our delicate hands?"

"I know." Brenna said, "I would rather die than have someone see us working in the dirt."

"I completely agree. Newell got lucky and stayed inside today."

"It's all Floriane's fault!" Brenna said with a jealous tone. "Those doctors were right: she is faking being sick. One day, she gets sick and ends up getting better within a week. All of a sudden, she gets sick again the next month? Mother wasted her money for nothing!"

"Her father should've paid those doctors, not our mother." Sorrel growled as she walked to the window. "Our father would agree with us!" Brenna rolled her eyes and looked in a different direction. "Brenna!" Sorrel said with surprise; Brenna quickly came to the window. "Does that look like...?"

"It does!" Brenna said, stunned to see a family friend on horseback heading their way. "I hope this means something!"


	3. Some News!

"Okay, I can go after lunch." Saffi said, "I want either you or Tanner to come along. Flour is heavy to carry by myself." Fabrice just nodded in agreement. He then looked at his daughter and son. Tanner was sitting on the dirt, leaning against the wheelbarrow. Floriane was standing next her brother, looking at another direction.

"Mother. Father." She said looking at them. "Someone's coming!" She pointed in the direction. Saffi and Fabrice turned and saw what their daughter saw. Someone riding a chestnut horse and was coming straight at them.

"Oh dear!" Saffi said as she pushed her husband out of the way. Floriane helped her brother up and got him out of the way. The horse came to a complete stop when it saw the wheelbarrow. The stop was so hard and sudden that the rider flew out of the saddle. The rider landed in the corn stalks, on the other side of the wheelbarrow.

"That must've hurt." Tanner whispered to his sister; Floriane nodded in agreement.

"Madame Ronsen!" The rider said, getting himself out of the cornstalks. "Madame Ronsen!"

"Well, looks like your old assistant still can't control his horse." Fabrice chuckled; Saffi just rolled her eyes as she waited for her former assistant to get out of the cornfield.

"Blasted corn!" He said, finally getting free of the corn stalks.

"What brings you out to the country, Jonathon?" Saffi said, still shaking her head from her husband's comment.

"Some good news!" Jonathon said with a smile. "It turns out one of your four ships fought back."

"What do you mean?" Tanner blurted out, but he quickly covered his mouth.

"It's okay, son." Fabrice said, "He does have a point: what do you mean by that?"

"Pirates attacked Madame Ronsen's ships, but crew-mates on the biggest ship decided to fight back against the pirates." Jonathon explained, "They fought back the pirates and managed to get away. They went into hiding because the pirates gave chase after them. I had received a letter from the ship, saying that they'll be back in the city's harbor in a couple of days." Everyone was in disbelief after hearing the story. Jonathon handed Saffi the letter that he received and she read it. Saffi couldn't resist smiling after reading it.

"Let's get inside the house...and see about getting Newell and his sisters out of their rooms." Saffi said and everyone went back to the cottage. Tanner was very excited after hearing about the ship. Floriane only smiled about the possible thought, but she was also thinking about the possibility that there wouldn't be much in the ship after being gone so long.

When the family got inside the house, Saffi went upstairs to get her other three kids. It took a lot of prodding, but when Saffi mentioned her ships, Sorrel, Brenna and Newell went straight downstairs to join the rest of the family. When the entire family was together, Jonathon explained that Saffi has to get to the city in a couple of days to receive any cargo and sell it. Newell, Sorrel and Brenna were jumping for joy, thinking that their days of work and being poor were over.

"I guess I better pack for the trip." Saffi said to her family. "Will you be okay with the children, Fabrice?"

"Of course I will." He answered, "I'll make sure of it."

"I'll go with her on her trip," Jonathon offered, "just so that she doesn't get lost." Saffi just nodded her head and then went upstairs to pack a few clothes. Floriane went to the kitchen to pack some food for her and Jonathon. Sorrel, Brenna and Newell continued to jump for joy while Tanner and Fabrice rested in the family room.

After a few hours, Saffi was ready to leave. Everyone was waiting outside while she fixed the saddle a little. She was wearing one of her best dresses and her bright blue cloak. She tied her leather purse to the saddle and looked at her family.

"I don't know what the chances are about the cargo on the ship," she said, "but if I do come across some money, what do you want me to bring to any of you?"

"Bring me dresses, mama!" Brenna almost squealed as she danced around her mother. "Lots and lots of beautiful dresses like a countess would wear! Please mama!"

"I want jewelry, mama!" Sorrel squealed as she hugged her little brother, Newell. "Rings, necklaces and a big beautiful brooch!"

"I want another horse, mother!" Newell proudly said, trying to get his sister off him. "A powerful white horse so I can go hunting big animals again." Saffi made a soft groan at their requests.

"We shall see." She said to them and then looked at Tanner and Floriane. "What about you two? Is there anything in the city I could get you?" Tanner and Floriane looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and looked back at their mother.

"What about a fishing pole for me?" Tanner said, "I can go fishing and give us a good meal for dinner once a week." Saffi just smiled; she knew that Tanner was trying to ask for something less expensive than what his half-siblings asked for.

"Floriane?"

"Don't worry about me, mother." Floriane said, "I just want you to come back to us."

"Now, now, you know better." Saffi pointed out. "I cannot get your siblings their things and return with nothing for you."

"Yes, you can." Newell said; Saffi looked at him with a very angry look. Sorrel and Brenna quickly grabbed their little brother and covered his mouth.

"He didn't say anything." The two girls said together.

"I didn't think he did." Saffi said with sarcasm. She then looked back at Floriane. "There must be something I can get you. Something special from the city...and since your birthday is next week, it will give you an excuse to ask for anything." Floriane thought about what her mother said. No matter what happened, Saffi made sure that her children had one special gift for their birthday. Her mother was right; her nineteenth birthday was coming up.

"All right, I want a bouquet of flowers." Floriane finally said, "If you can't get me a bouquet, then get me the most beautiful flower you think is fit for me."

"Are you sure, Floriane? Nothing else?"

"I'm sure, mother." Floriane said; Saffi just smiled and nodded her head.

"All right then. I'll be going now. I hope to hear that everyone will get along while I'm gone. Hopefully I'll be back in time for Floriane's birthday."

"Be safe, Saffi." Fabrice added; she kissed him on the cheek. Saffi hopped onto her horse and she and Jonathon made their way to the city. The family watched Saffi until they couldn't see her anymore.

"Do you believe that she'll be safe, father?" Tanner asked.

"Your mother is tougher than she looks." Fabrice answered, "I do believe that she'll be back safe."

"She'll be back with so much riches that we won't be living out here anymore!" Newell pointed out, after finally getting his sisters off him. "So I don't even know why you bothered to ask her for a fishing pole when you won't use it in the city."

"Remember what your mother said!" Fabrice warned his stepchildren. "You don't want to have nothing when she gets back after being rotten to your half-siblings." Newell, Sorrel and Brenna took a step back after hearing their stepfather's words. "Now, you three get inside and get ready for other chores. Now that your mother's gone, you three are going to have to help us whether you like it or not."

Tanner rolled his eyes; he really didn't think his half-siblings would help with anything. Before he turned to go back to back inside, he saw that his sister was still staring out at the road. Tanner walked up and stood next to his sister.

"I'm going to miss her too, Floriane." Tanner said, believing that it was the reason Floriane was still staring at the road.

"Tanner...I have an odd feeling."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Floriane answered, "but...it's hard to explain. It's as if...something horrible is going to happen to someone."

"I doubt that, sister. We'll be all right...so will mama."

"I hope so." She said, "I really hope so."


	4. Six Days Later

It had been six days since Saffi left her family. Her family was almost acting the same as before: Fabrice working with Floriane and Tanner while Newell, Sorrel and Brenna stay in the house. The only difference was that Newell and his sisters were actually helping around the house. They took their stepfather's threat seriously that if their mother found out that they weren't working like a family, they wouldn't get the gifts they asked for.

Fabrice was pleased that his stepchildren were finally taking a hand in the chores, but he knew better. He knew that they are only nice to get what they wanted. His children were the only ones who were doing their responsibility for the house out of their hearts. He also wondered on how his wife was because...he knew that Saffi didn't like being away from her family, especially Floriane.

* * *

He remembered the day his daughter got sick very vividly because Floriane was begging him for her mother. He remembered Floriane saying she might die...and that scared him the most out of everything. Saffi was dealing with her late husband's business workers that day and she didn't know what was going on...until Tanner interrupted her meeting. Saffi felt very miserable with herself for a while after that horrible day. Ever since that day, whenever Saffi was gone, Fabrice wondered what will happen to his daughter...and what his wife is thinking about.

* * *

Floriane and Tanner had been working together selling half of their vegetables and wool in the market. The days at the market were slow days; they were lucky to have sold anything for the day. They were very disappointed with their time in the market, but the one happy side about it is that they had more food for themselves and the rest of the family. When they returned home on the sixth day, they came home with one-fourth of their items.

"Another slow day again." Floriane whispered to her brother as they walked home. "Father is not going to be happy with us."

"At least we tried." Tanner said, "I hope those siblings of ours haven't been getting on his nerves."

"I don't want to think about that." Floriane said as she opened the front door. "We're home!" Fabrice came out of the kitchen with an irritated look on his face.

"That face means everything." Tanner whispered to his sister; Floriane just nodded in agreement.

"Looks like the two of you had a long day." Fabrice said, "I made you some dinner and put on the table. Go ahead and eat something." Tanner and Floriane looked at each other. They were a little surprised one how well their father is trying to not show how upset he was. They just quickly walked past him and went to the table in the dining room. When they got to the table, Fabrice went upstairs.

"It's a matter of time before he loses his temper." Floriane said as she stared at her brother.

"You're right. He seemed very annoyed." Tanner agreed; suddenly, they heard their father's loud voice. "It's a good thing I don't bet with you."

"Why is that?"

"Because I would lose...a lot." He answered; Floriane just softly laughed.

They finally finished their dinner within twenty minutes, but it took thirty for their father to stop yelling in the house. Tanner and Floriane just talked with each other until they saw their father coming down the stairs. They tried not to stare at their father, but Fabrice, like any father, knows when his kids are thinking of him. He walked over to the table and sat with his children.

"We're not asking anything." Tanner said, not giving his father eye contact.

"Yes, you are." His father said, "Your sisters almost caused a fire in the kitchen earlier because they weren't paying attention."

"Oh." Floriane said as she turned towards the kitchen. She could only guess what kind of black mess is in there.

"They were lucky that the kitchen was blackened by the smoke, not by a fire."

"Do you need some help, father?" Tanner asked, but Fabrice shook his head 'no'.

"I told your sisters that since it was their fault, they had to clean it." He said, "I know you two have been trying hard at the market." Floriane looked at her brother, reached into her apron pocket and placed some money on the table in front of her father.

"That's all we made today." She said, "It was a very slow week. We were lucky that anyone came."

"It's almost autumn and everyone's probably getting ready for the Harvesting Party tomorrow." Tanner said, "Which could...explain why Sorrel and Brenna weren't paying attention."

"That explains it." Fabrice realized...and also realizing something else. "The two of you want to go, don't you?"

"Uh...how did you know?" Tanner asked; feeling like a child getting caught doing something they shouldn't have done.

"Don't fool your father, Tanner, or you, Floriane. I've caught you, Tanner, going through my good clothes. I also heard Sorrel saying Brenna that you, Floriane, were asking them to take you." Tanner and Floriane looked at each other and brought their heads down.

"They get to go all the time." Floriane said with a sad tone. "Whenever there's some kind of party, they get to go."

"They told us that we would be embarrassment if we were with them." Tanner then added, "The Harvesting Party isn't one of those fancy parties. It is held every year to celebrate everything we were given."

"Why didn't the two of you say something?"

"And have mother choose between us and them?" Floriane asked, "We didn't want to make it worse. Besides...you and mother...need our help around the house. It's not like our half-siblings do anything for you and mama without expecting anything for them."

"I understand." Fabrice said, "If you two want to go to this party tomorrow, you can go." They lifted their heads at the same time and gave straight eye contact to their father. "You both have been working hard and almost never ask anything. You deserve to have some fun in your lives."

"What about you?" Floriane asked, "What will happen...when our sisters and big brother find out?"

"Don't worry about that! I'll take care of it. I'm tired of them always leaving you with the work." Floriane and her brother looked at each other and looked back at their father.

"Thank you, papa." She said; Fabrice smiled and hugged his daughter and son.

"Well, if you're done with your dinner, you can head to bed." Fabrice said, "I hope your sisters don't make too much noise cleaning the kitchen."

"Good night, papa." Floriane said; Tanner said the same thing and went upstairs. When they got to the top of the stairs, Sorrel and Brenna were getting ready to go down the stairs. Tanner and Floriane didn't bother to speak to them; they had the look of fury in their faces. When the sisters went downstairs, Floriane felt safe to talk.

"Do you think mama is okay?" She asked her brother. "She should've been home by today."

"Maybe her sales are taking longer than they need to be." He answered, "I highly doubt that something horrible happened. Mama is a fighter...unlike a lot of women."

"As much as I don't want to admit it, I have to agree." Floriane said, "How can you expect women to be fighters when men don't respect them?" Tanner just stared at her sister. "I apologize...I'm not making sense, am I?"

"No, you are...but you did walk past your room." Floriane stopped in her tracks and looked back. Her brother was right: she did walk past her room. She rolled her eyes, said good night to her brother and went into her room.

She closed the door, but she walked over to her small desk instead of her bed. She lit her little oil lamp, sat down and looked at the papers on her desk. Floriane looked at the different drawings she made; all of different kinds of flowers. She had been drawing flowers ever since she got sick. It was a source of happiness for her because the flowers on paper would last forever instead of the real flower. Lately, Floriane had been dreaming about a flower trying to grow out of a crystal. She didn't know what it meant, but she had been having the dream a week before her mother left. Ever since then, Floriane had been trying to draw the flower from her dream, but when she looked at the paper, she felt like it wasn't the flower and would toss the paper aside.

Floriane looked at the papers she had tossed aside and looked through them. She knew that each drawing didn't look like the flower in her dreams, but she felt like each one had a certain part that was correct. Floriane rubbed her eyes, but it was obvious to her that she was ready to fall asleep. So she gently put her drawings on the corner of her desk, changed into her nightgown, blew out her oil lamp and went to bed. Floriane believed that she will be able to draw the flower, but it would take more sleep and more ink to have it with her forever.


	5. Birthday Surprise

"We'll have a good time, Floriane." Tanner assured his sister as they made the small walk into town. It was Floriane's nineteenth birthday and she and Tanner were going to the Harvesting Party to celebrate. Floriane was second-guessing about going an hour earlier, but her brother and father convinced her that she should have a good time, especially since it was her birthday. "Sister, are you listening to me?" Tanner asked; Floriane quickly shook her head and brought herself back to reality.

"No, I'm not."

"I didn't think you were." He said, "Is there anything in town that your big brother can get you as a gift?"

"I'll let you know if I see it." Floriane answered as they entered into the town square. It was bustling with plenty of people, walking around, trading merchandise, playing games, observing contests and being merry. It was an atmosphere that Floriane wasn't used to, but Tanner was.

* * *

Tanner was used to being with a lot of people because his half-brother would drag him out of the house to 'try' teaching him...to be a man. Tanner would be listening to men about their successes and possible deals with with tradesmen. Newell would just use the opportunity to be so merry that he would forget that his half brother was with him. Tanner wasn't appalled by Newell's behavior, but he would be surprised. It wasn't Newell's behavior that would surprise him, but it was also the way he would divide his attention to different women.

Tanner didn't believe that one man should be with different women if they didn't love them. When the women found out that Tanner was Newell's half-brother, they would also try to nab his attention. Tanner didn't like how they would refill his drink when it wasn't empty, hang onto his arm and be in face all the time and constantly talking. He didn't mind the talking, but it was another matter if they didn't give him a chance to talk back to them. Tanner didn't see the point of talking to women after being surrounded by them four times. He finally chose to ignore them and listen in with his own conversations. The women went back to foundering over Newell after being ignored by Tanner multiple times.

* * *

It been a few hours after they arrived in the celebration; Tanner could see how uncomfortable his sister was feeling. She was trying to put on a brave face, but she couldn't fool her brother. He offered twice to take her back home, but she said 'no'. Floriane was enjoying herself, but there was something sticking out in her heart that was bothering her.

She couldn't figure out why she was feeling it. She wasn't sure if it was her mother not yet returning from her trip...or if it was the rude remarks her sisters said to her before she left. Sorrel and Brenna were whining about not being able to go to the party. They had said that Floriane wasn't suitable for a party of any kind, but Tanner got into their faces and they backed off. Floriane was very bothered by her half-sisters' words, but she couldn't change them...no one could.

Tanner wondered if Floriane was thinking about what their half-sisters said, but he knew that Floriane wouldn't admit it. He knew that his sister stuck out for many things; the Harvesting Party was probably one of them.

Suddenly, they heard loud cheering on the other side of town. Many people ran towards the sound; the siblings looked at each other and slowly followed. When they saw the source, it didn't surprise them too much. It was a wedding; they saw the bride and groom leaving the church to join everyone in the party.

"Another wedding." Tanner softly said, "That now makes five weddings in this town this month."

"Something you're thinking about?" Floriane asked; Tanner sensed the tease in her words, but it made him think.

"I don't know. What woman would want to be with me?"

"I can't answer that, big brother. It would be like me asking you what man would have me."

"Don't let Sorrel and Brenna get into your head, Floriane. You'll find someone; whoever it is, he has to accept you for who you are, sick or not."

"If you believe that, then you should believe that you'd find the right lady." She said as she smiled. Tanner smiled back at his sister; he knew that Floriane found hope in some situation. She just didn't see any hope for herself in any situation." In his opinion, his little sister was the least selfish person he knew.

"Would you like to stay for the Sunset Dance?" He asked her, despite the fact that his sister didn't know how to dance.

"Of course." Floriane answered, "It may be my birthday, but you deserve some fun just as much as me." She saw her brother get ready to open his mouth in protest. "Don't even try to argue the point. You can't watch over me forever." Tanner groaned in defeat a few seconds after his sister finished her sentence.

He really disliked of how Floriane would somehow convince him into some kind of defeat. Tanner would love to have argued the fact, but he didn't want her to think that her big brother would start acting like their elder half-siblings. He decided to let it go and walk his sister to the center of town.

* * *

Many people were dancing under the light of the Harvest moon, being thankful of the food provided to them this year. Floriane watched the dancing on the sidelines while her brother danced with another woman. She had noticed that her brother was eyeing the young brunette...and she was to him. After some prodding, Floriane convinced Tanner to go out and dance with her. Floriane just watched her brother; it was the first time in a long time that he seemed...happy and enjoying himself.

After watching her brother for ten minutes, Floriane decided to check out some of the shops. Even though Tanner wouldn't be happy about disappearing on him, Floriane thought he deserve some fun without her watching him. She walked past a few shops and stores, full of excited people, but there was one that caught her attention the most, probably because there wasn't anyone coming in or out.

Floriane walked up to the open door and peered inside. She was very amazed, as the shop seemed to be filled with beautiful paintings and drawings. They were very beautiful in Floriane's mind. When she heard the sound of soft mumbling, she followed the voice to the back of the shop. She soon found a middle-aged woman, sitting in front of a canvas; trying to finish up a painting. The woman was mumbling as she mixed the colors on her palette. It was very obvious that she was paying attention to her work, so Floriane just watched her finish her painting. All the colors seemed to pop off the canvas, as if the painting would come alive at any given moment. The woman touched the painting with a brush full of green, as if the brush was a feather.

"Finally, it's done!" The painter said as she put her brush and palette down on a small table full of paint.

"It's beautiful." Floriane softly said, not realizing she said it out loud.

"Hmm?" The painter said startled; she turned around and saw Floriane. "I'm sorry. I didn't know someone was in my gallery."

"I didn't mean to pry. Your door was wide open and, I just walked in." Floriane explained, "Your paintings and drawings are beautiful."

"I appreciate the complement." The painter said with a smile as she wiped her hands off. "I can't take the credit for all of them. I just did the paintings; my daughter did the drawings."

"Well, they are beautiful."

"Thank you. Is this your first time at the Harvesting Party?"

"How did you guess that?" Floriane asked with surprise.

"Because you're in here and not dancing like the other women...and my daughter." The painter answered as she poured a cup of tea.

"Oh, I'm not interested in dancing." Floriane said, "I would rather draw flowers and be outside...something my parents and brother always worry about."

"Why worry about that?" The painter asked as she handed Floriane a cup. "Being outside isn't something to worry about as long as you respect it."

"I know that." Floriane said as she accepted the cup. "I got terribly sick when I was nine. I've had a few relapses since then and it gives my family a scare."

"Ah, well, I can understand that worry. My husband got terribly sick and had a few relapses himself. He's feeling better now that we finally managed to pay a doctor. My daughter is always worried about him, but he told her that she didn't have to worry."

"Sounds like your daughter and husband have a close relationship." Floriane said, thinking about her relationship with her brother.

"Yes," the painter said with a smile, "he convinced her to unleash her wonderful drawing talent. She likes to draw forest animals while I like to paint mystical beings." She soon noticed the strange look on Floriane's face. "Just because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. You can't always rely on your eyes for an answer. Sometimes an answer can be as clear as glass. It can take some cleaning to make it clear, but an answer will always be waiting. I like to think that mystical beings might hold an answer to something that we can't." Floriane listened closely to the painter's words. It gave her a little more hope that an answer to her sickness is waiting to be released.

"Floriane! Floriane!" They heard and Floriane quickly stood up.

"It sounds like my brother is looking for me." She said, "Thank you for the tea...and the advice."

"Of course." The painter said as she led Floriane to the front door. When they got there, they saw Tanner, not looking too happy.

"You know better than wandering off like that!" He said as he approached his sister.

"I'm not a child, but I'm fine." Floriane calmly said; Tanner just rolled his eyes in defeat. He wasn't going to treat his sister like a child in public.

"Well, it's almost night." He said, "Did you see anything that I can get you for your birthday?"

"No, I really didn't." She answered; it was true: she really didn't get a chance to see anything.

"Will this work?" They heard; Floriane turned and saw the painter with a blue container.

"What is it?" Tanner asked her.

"It's a special blue ink that my daughter and I made." The painter answered, "It won't soak into the paper like the traditional black ink." Floriane almost reached out and took it, but she refrained because of the possible price.

"I'll take it." Tanner said, hoping it wouldn't cost much...and it didn't. After paying for the ink, Tanner and Floriane walked the short trip back home.

* * *

"You didn't have to pay for it." Floriane said as she and her brother walked back home.

"I would feel bad towards myself for not getting you anything for your birthday." Tanner explained, "Besides, I know papa would come after me if I hadn't."

"I should've known that papa would also be a reason behind that." She said.

"Well, despite that, I hope you had a happy birthday, sister."

"I did." She said, but then frowned. "I wish mama was back home. That would the best gift I could've gotten. I know I shouldn't worry...but I can't help but wonder what's taking her so long."

"Hmm, since it's now a week since she's been gone, I now have to agree. The only thing I have to hope for is that nothing bad happened to her."

"Me too." Floriane said as they approached the house. There was light emerging from the windows, giving them the idea that someone was still awake. Tanner opened the door and walked in first. He saw his father sitting in the family room and heard a commotion in the kitchen.

"Tanner!" Fabrice said, getting up from his seat. "Did you and Floriane have a good time?"

"Yes, father." Tanner said, "I got a small gift for Floriane." He turned to face his sister, but he and Fabrice noticed that she didn't enter the house. She was standing right outside the door. "Sister?" Tanner said approaching her. She quickly shushed her brother and looked in many directions.

"Do you hear that?" She asked.

"Hear what?" Fabrice asked as he approached his children.

"Listen." Floriane said and all three of them remained silent. The men then heard a deep booming sound.

"Thunder?" Tanner guessed, but he knew that it couldn't be. The night sky was so clear that you could see every star in the sky.

"It sounds more like...hoof-beats." Floriane thought out loud; suddenly, there was a loud whinny! Floriane turned in time to see a huge horse rearing up. Tanner quickly pushed her out of the way before the horse came down.

"What's going on out here?" Newell shouted as he came out with a lantern in his hands. With the light of the lamp, they saw two horses instead of one!

One horse was pure white with a gray mane and tail. It had two trunks, one on each side of the white horse. The second horse was black with a golden saddle and bridle. The black horse had a rider on its back, but the rider seemed to have passed out on the horse's neck. Floriane pushed her brother off her and went over to the passed out rider...and realized that the rider was wearing a bright blue cloak. Her hopes were raised as she removed the hood off the rider. It was her mother, Saffi!

"Mother!" Floriane almost shouted as she pushed her mother, trying to wake her up.

"Sweetheart!" Fabrice almost yelled as he went up to his wife. Nothing seemed to wake her up. "I'll take her inside." He added as he carried his wife into the house. Newell quickly followed him and almost closed the door on his half-siblings.

"You go ahead, Tanner." Floriane said as she helped him off the ground. "I'll take the horses into the barn."

"We'll both do it." He said, believing that she couldn't handle the strength of the horses by herself. Floriane didn't argue with the help. Tanner approached the black horse, but it reared-up when got close. It snorted and tried to kick. Floriane quickly pushed her brother away from the black horse; it quickly calmed back down, as if it never got spooked.

"Hmm, why don't you take the white horse?" She offered as she went up to the black horse. Tanner was going to stop her, but became surprised when the black horse remained calm when his sister approached it. She gently grabbed the reins and led the black horse to the barn. Tanner decided to take a breath and went up to the white horse. It stayed calm as Tanner led it to the barn. He wondered what was going on: how did their mother return in the dark...and where did she get these two horses?


	6. A Mysterious Return

Floriane lit the barn lantern as she and her brother led the two horses their mother brought back home. She put the black horse in the stall where their original chestnut horse once was. Tanner put the white horse, with the two trunks, in an empty stall from an old cow that recently died. Tanner was still surprised on how calm the black horse was being.

The black horse didn't want to be touched by Tanner, but it allowed Floriane to get near. Tanner quickly removed the riding gear and the trunks off the white horse. He wondered what might be in them, but he decided to wait until another time. He put hay down for the white horse, closed the stall and went to the black horse's stall. Tanner kept his distance because of the look the black horse was giving him. It was a mix of anger...and protection, but Tanner didn't know if the horse was protecting itself or its companion.

"Big brother, look what I found on the saddle." Floriane bent down, came up and had, in her hands, a bouquet of flowers. They were wrapped in a white cloth, tied together at the bottom of the stems by a plum-purple ribbon.

"They're...beautiful." He simply said, still paying more attention to the horse.

"I've never seen these types of flowers before." She said, leaving the stall. All she could see on the flowers were the petals. They were sunshine-gold with a single stripe of apple-red from the tips and down to the center.

"Something strange is going on...and all you can say is that you've never seen these types of flowers?" Tanner finally released out.

"I had a feeling you were going to act like that at any moment." Floriane said, "One of us had to try to have a straight head! You're right: something strange is going on and the only one who can answer that is mama. We can't ask her because she's asleep."

"Think about it, sister: there's a white horse...and the bouquet of flowers." Tanner said, "You asked for the flowers...and Newell asked for the horse."

"You're thinking there's more in the trunks?" She asked; they looked at the trunks and wondered what other surprises awaited the family. They walked over to the trunks and decided to bring them inside the house.

Tanner told Floriane that one trunk was much lighter than the other, so he carried the heavier trunk and Floriane brought the lighter trunk.

* * *

"Is mother okay, Newell?" Sorrel asked after seeing their stepfather carry their mother upstairs.

"She hasn't made a sound since she came in." Newell answered, "Fabrice is making mother comfortable."

"I hope she didn't come back here dead!" Brenna almost wailed, "Mama can't die!"

"Brenna, calm down." Newell added, "It's bad enough dealing with Fabrice's reaction. We don't need to deal with yours...unless it's true." Brenna only cried some more after hearing that.

"You did not help the situation!" Sorrel almost yelled at her little brother.

Newell continued to argue with his sister while Brenna continued to cry. They didn't notice Fabrice coming down the stairs. He was not happy to see his stepchildren going after each other's throats. He was about ready to get between Newell and Sorrel, but he stopped when he saw Floriane coming in. Tanner was right behind her with the heavier trunk. Fabrice quickly went over to him and help carry it to the couch. Floriane came in from behind with the lighter trunk and the bouquet of flowers tied to her waist.

"Will the two of you stop your arguing?" Floriane finally shouted, getting in between Sorrel and Newell. Sorrel quickly noticed the flowers and pulled them off her half-sister's waist. "Give those back!" Floriane said as she tried to get them out of Sorrel's hands.

"Where did you get these?" Sorrel said with jealousy.

"I found them on the saddle of the horse mama rode on!" Floriane answered, finally getting the flowers back.

"These trunks were on the white horse that was with her." Tanner added, "We decided to bring them inside; we don't know what's in them."

"Maybe mother came home with riches galore!" Newell thought out loud; when Brenna and Sorrel heard that, Brenna stopped crying on the spot and Sorrel stared that the trunks. The two of them ran over to the trunks, but Fabrice quickly got in the way, preventing the sisters to reach the trunks.

"Um...father?" Tanner asked with curiosity.

"We're not opening them!" Fabrice ordered and all five kids looked each other.

"Why not?" Newell asked as he marched up to his stepfather.

"Your mother brought those home!" Fabrice said as the two men stared at each other, almost facing off. "Right now, all of you should be thinking about how your mother is doing. Until she is well, none of you are to open those trunks!"

"What?" Sorrel almost whined.

"You all managed to wait this long for your mother to come home! You can wait until your mother wakes up with open them!"

"It's not fair!" Brenna cried out, "Floriane got her gift first! She always does! Why not us?" Floriane sensed the escalation when her half-sister brought her into the mix. Before things got worse, Floriane quickly ran to her room. "You come back here, Floriane!" She heard Brenna shout; she didn't have to turn around to know that Brenna was chasing her.

"Brenna, come back here!" Floriane heard her father shout. When Floriane reached her room, she quickly closed the door and locked it. She could hear her sister shouting to open the door and pounding on it. "Brenna!" Fabrice yelled on the other side of the door. The pounding stopped and so did Brenna's shouting.

Floriane slowly walked away from her bedroom door, holding onto the bouquet, as if it were a stuffed animal. Brenna and Fabrice's voices slowly went farther and farther away until Floriane couldn't hear them anymore. She slowly made her way to her desk and sat down, trying to calm down her frightened heart. She really didn't like it when Brenna chased after her because she did something or got something before Brenna.

* * *

Brenna had always been more jealous of Floriane than her big sister and little brother. She was the youngest and had the most attention before Floriane was born. She also believed that Floriane's illness wasn't real so that Floriane could have their mother's attention. Brenna refused to do anything that involved Floriane. Brenna had chased after Floriane multiple times, but it was the second chase that Floriane deeply remembered.

The second time Brenna chased after Floriane...she took a vase and used it to hit Floriane. The vase shattered and Floriane was cut up from the broken shards. Floriane was so scared that she really didn't move from the spot where she was attacked. Brenna was punished for it, but she didn't care because, in her opinion, she was proving to her mother that Floriane was never sick. Ever since Brenna's attack, Floriane knew when she should get out of the situation...and she also learned how to be fast than her sister.

* * *

Floriane sat in her chair, holding her flowers, with her little lantern glowing softly. She refused to go to sleep until her heart calmed down. She looked back at the flowers and gently pulled one of them out of the bouquet. She twisted it in her fingers as she stared at it. Floriane placed her bouquet on the small table next to her bed, placed the single flower in a thin wooden flower holder and started to draw the flower.

The golden petals almost shined in the little bit of light the lantern was making. It was almost if it was giving off its own light while Floriane drew. She was drawing in the new ink that her brother bought for her earlier. She was actually surprised that the container didn't break when Tanner pushed her out of the way of the black horse. None of the blue ink soaked into the paper as she drew the flower. Floriane was happy that there weren't going to be ink splotches on the other side of the paper or on her desk.

When she finished drawing, she gently blew on the paper, drying the ink. When it was dry, she placed it among with her other flower drawings. Floriane was about to go to bed, but she decided to look at her incomplete drawings. She compared the drawings with the flower. None of them had any part of the flower from the bouquet, but she felt like she was getting closer to drawing the flower from her dreams. Floriane put her papers back on the desk, grabbed the single flower, put it back in the bouquet and went to bed. Her eyes closed, hoping that her dream flower will come to her again. Floriane believed that she had to draw that dream flower. It was if...it was some kind of sign or symbol to her. She knew that one day, she'd figure out the secret of the dream flower growing out of its crystal.


	7. A Dream and a Reaction

The white mist prevented Floriane from seeing all around her. She knew that this was her dream: the one that had the flower growing out of the crystal. She was happy to be having this dream again, but this time seemed...different than the other times she dreamt about it. The mist seemed thicker to walk through and Floriane felt the aura of sadness. It was so powerful that it was making Floriane feel blue.

'Something's wrong.' She thought, 'It's never been this depressing.'

"Sadness is draping over." A male voice said; Floriane looked around, but she didn't see anyone. "You, Floriane, are the only one who can bring life to a soul."

"Only magic can bring life back to a soul. I don't have any magic!" Suddenly, a light of dark blue broke through the mist. Floriane covered her eyes before something horrible happened. The mist seemed to fly away as the blue light got brighter. Floriane moved her hands out of the way and saw the origin of the light.

It was her dream flower! The flower was bent over, as if it was being affected by sadness, and the roots were tangled all over the crystal. The dark blue light was coming from the flower petals. Floriane wanted to run up to the flower, but the aura of sadness was keeping her frozen. The blue flower was growing out of a large golden-yellow crystal with multiple points. The blue light was pulsating...as if the flower had a heart.

"Someone is waiting for you, Floriane." The male voice spoke again, "You're the only one who can rid him of his sadness and hatred." Floriane was beginning to believe that it was the flower talking to her. It wasn't hard for her to believe...since she was dreaming. "Please Floriane, a mighty reward is waiting for you once you rid the curtain of sadness." The blue flower rose and stood straight up. The blue light flashed brightly and startled Floriane.

* * *

When Floriane opened her eyes again, she was back in her room. The night was just starting to turn orange by the rising sun. Floriane got out of bed, cleaned her face, changed into her farm clothes, gently grabbed her bouquet and went to her bedroom door. She rested her hand on the doorknob, but she didn't slide the lock off.

Floriane still felt a little shaken from the events of last night, especially Brenna chasing after her. She knew that she couldn't stay locked in her room because her brother and father would think that she was ill again. Floriane knew she had to be brave and face whatever the day brought. She slid the lock off the door and opened it.

She softly walked down the hall and down the stairs for she didn't want to wake anybody up. A part of her wanted to check in on her mother, but she didn't want to wake up her father by accident. When Floriane got to the bottom of the stairs, she saw quite the surprise. She saw her father, possibly sleeping, in his big soft chair. This was something that Floriane would never see...unless her mother was mad at Fabrice. Floriane stayed silent as she carefully made her way to the kitchen. She put her bouquet of flowers in a small vase with water and went to cooking.

It was hard to be quiet while making breakfast, but it was a routine that Floriane was used to. Besides making some of usual food she made, Floriane decided to make her own treat: boiled eggs. She didn't make boiled eggs very often because she was the only one in the family who liked them. Floriane was careful about her surroundings as she made breakfast. The last thing she wanted was Brenna coming after her again with food cooking on the stove. It took half an hour until the sun shined its light on the land and for Floriane to finish breakfast. When breakfast was done, Floriane carefully placed plates on the table. Much to her surprise, she saw her father blocking her way back to the kitchen.

"Father...did I do something?" She asked with caution.

"No," he answered, "I thought I would help you with breakfast, but it seems like you're already done."

"Well, you were sleeping in your big soft chair. I'm not even going to guess on why you were sleeping down here. I didn't want to wake you up by accident while I was cooking."

"Well, I would've cooked breakfast...considering what happened last night."

"I don't want to talk about it, papa. Did you check on Mama yet?"

"No, I haven't." He answered, "I didn't want to take a chance that your mother needed more rest." Floriane just nodded in agreement. The way she saw her mother...she could only guessed what caused her to pass out.

"Well, I'm going to bring out Tanner's breakfast and my bouquet and we'll be ready for breakfast."

"I'll help you." Fabrice added; Floriane didn't argue with her father on that. They went back to the kitchen, Fabrice brought out Tanner's breakfast and Floriane brought her flowers. Tanner came downstairs a few minutes later. They sat at the table and ate their breakfast.

"You made yourself of boiled eggs?" Tanner asked Floriane; she just nodded 'yes'. Since she was the only one who liked boiled eggs, she didn't see the point of making more for anyone else.

"Don't tease your sister." Fabrice said.

"I wasn't trying to." Tanner answered, "It's not hard to notice it."

"It's not like you've done it before, big brother. It's something I've gotten used to...even though father' doesn't like to know that."

"There's plenty that the two of you keep from your half-siblings." Fabrice added, "It wouldn't surprise me that the two of you are hiding something from me and your mother." Floriane was getting ready to speak again, but stopped because she noticed a look on her brother's face. "Tanner, what is it?" Fabrice asked, also noticing him. Tanner was just too surprised to speak, so he just lifted his arm and pointed towards the stairs. Floriane and their father looked at the stairs...and they were surprised too.

It was Saffi, at the bottom of the stairs and holding the railing. It was obvious on her face that she was still tired, but she was dressed in her clothes that she wore last night. She was also holding her neck, as if something was bothering her.

"Mother, are you okay?" Floriane blurted out. She quickly covered her mouth before her father looked at her.

"I'm...okay." Saffi softly answered, "What do we need to do today?"

"We're going to do our chores." Fabrice said, approaching her. "You are going back to bed."

"No, I'm not!" Saffi said, raising her voice, as she backed away from her husband. That caught Fabrice off-guard for it was the first time Saffi backed away from him.

"Mother, what's going on?" Tanner bravely asked, "Did something happen on your trip?"

"You...could say that." Saffi slowly said when she looked at her son. Her eyes then turned over to the bouquet of flowers. It was if she saw a ghost for her eyes shrank and her skin turned white.

"Sweetheart!" Fabrice said in worry, "Don't choke yourself!" He was worried because Saffi didn't remove her hand from her neck. He didn't want her to strangle herself. He quickly grabbed her hand and yanked it off her neck. That's when he saw something that shocked him. It was a bruise in the shape of a handprint. It wasn't Saffi's handprint because her fingers were a little shorter than on the bruise. Tanner and Floriane saw from the table, but they didn't say anything. No one wanted Saffi to feel overwhelmed.

Floriane nudged her brother, telling him they should leave the room. Tanner tried to show that something happened to their mother, but Floriane showed that their mother was no shape to talk about it. Despite they didn't use their voices, the two siblings went at each other until Tanner gave up. They gathered the dirty dishes, cleaned them and left to do their chores. Floriane took the bouquet of flowers, wrapped them back up in the cloth and purple ribbon, and took them with her.


	8. A Big Problem

Floriane went into the barn while her brother went to the field. Tanner had taken the cattle to pasture to graze so the barn was completely empty. Floriane knew that they would be gone for the whole day, so she decided to take advantage and muck out the stalls. It was a very dirty job, but one that was needed to take of. Floriane put her bouquet of flowers on the second level of the barn so that they wouldn't get ruined. Every stall had old hay and dung removed, the hard floor was washed and a fresh layer of hay was placed.

Floriane was working hard as the sun moved across the sky. Beads of sweat fell from her face and hands. She didn't stop her work, not even for lunch. She was still nervous about facing Brenna again. If there's anything that Floriane made sure of it's not to run into Brenna the day after being chased. It wasn't worth stopping until she was done. When 3:00 came, Floriane finally finished with the stalls the cattle occupied. All that was left were the two stalls that the black horse and white horse occupied.

She had noticed that the black horse had been watching her even since she came into the barn. It was if the horse was making sure that Floriane was protected. She couldn't help but wonder where her mother got the horses. Was it possible that her mother's trip was successful? Some things did deserve an explanation such as: why did it take her mother a week to get back home...and why was her mother passed out on the horse when she got back?

Floriane went up to the second floor of the barn, grabbed her bouquet and rested next to a pile of hay. She thought about her dream flower, wondering what her dream was trying to tell her. It really didn't make sense because she didn't herself ridding someone's sadness and hatred. How could she?

"I wish you could give me an answer." Floriane whispered to the flowers.

""Saffi, you have to tell me what's going on!" She heard; she immediately recognized it as her father's voice. Floriane sat up and crawled over to the edge of the second floor. She saw her parents getting ready to enter the barn.

"No! I can't!" Saffi said as she entered the barn. Floriane quickly ducked out of her parents' sight. The last thing she wanted was to get in the way of her parents' discussion.

* * *

"Sweetheart," Fabrice pushed, "who harmed you? What happened to you?"

"I can't discuss it!" Saffi pushed and she turned around and saw the black horse. It snorted and stamped its feet; Saffi stared at it in fear.

"Saffi, I'm not dumb!" Fabrice said, "You have a bruise, in the shape of a hand-print, on your neck. It's clear as day that someone grabbed your neck! Who harmed you?"

"I...can't tell you. He has great power." She finally admitted as she turned her head away. Fabrice noticed the tears finally falling from his wife's eyes.

"Saffi, what happened? You're hiding something and you need to, at least, tell me." Saffi groaned in defeat, realizing she had to come clean.

"When I got to the port, none of the goods were salvageable. The ship was so badly damaged that I had to sell it for scrap. I didn't get a lot of money, not even enough to get a gift for any of the children."

"Then...how did you come back with those trunks, the horses and the flowers?"

"I got caught in a rainstorm on my way home. It was horrible, so bad that I got lost. A strike of lightning spooked my horse; he reared up and I fell out of the saddle. I must've lost consciousness because I didn't remember anything else about the storm. When I woke up, I found myself in a room of a cottage. A woman, who was a visitor of the cottage's owner, told me that the cottage's owner found me and brought me inside to recover. I was there for three days until I felt better."

"What happened afterwards?"

"I left the cottage." She answered, "I walked about ten minutes until I came across a field of flowers. They were so beautiful; nothing that I had ever saw. I thought they would be perfect for Floriane's birthday gift. I took out my hair ribbon, used it to tie the flowers...and cut them. I then heard this loud noise...as if it was someone screaming or roaring. I got so scared that I jumped and turned around. Someone...grabbed my throat and-"

"Sweetheart, calm down." He calmly said, realizing the fear his wife was feeling. Saffi grabbed her chest, as if she was trying to slow down her heart. "Did you...see who it was?"

"It-was a man, but it was no human." Saffi explained, still picturing the horrible face. "He had a horrible serpent face, hissing and flicking his tongue at me. It had such angry eyes that I thought they were on fire. He hissed at me, yelling that the flowers I stole were very precious to him. I told him that I didn't know that the flowers belonged to him. He said that he saved me from the rainstorm and I repaid him by stealing the flowers that were made for his sweetheart."

"It was the owner of the cottage?"

"That's what he said...he then said he was going to replace his flowers with my life. I pleaded with him to spare me. I told him about you and our children. He raised his eyes at me when he heard 'children'. I thought I might have my life if I told him about my family."

"What did you tell him?"

"The whole story about what happened to us and what I would get for my children from the city. He then...asked me about my daughters. I told him Sorrel's stubbornness, Brenna's jealousy...and Floriane's illness. When he heard that, he gave me this odd smile...and said something that broke my heart."

"What?" Fabrice asked with a worried tone; Saffi blew her nose in her handkerchief.

"He said that he'll forgive me for taking his flowers and give me what Sorrel, Brenna, Newell and Tanner had asked for me. He summoned two horses, one to hold my children's gifts and another for me to ride on. I thank him for sparing my life...but he then said I still have to face a punishment. He gave me two options: after one month had passed, I would have to go back to face my punishment or...or...or...or...give him Floriane as a bride for his son." When Fabrice heard that, nothing could express what heartache he felt. He fell to his knees in shock, wanting to cry.

"What do you plan to do?" He quickly asked, "I can't lose you! I can't lose Floriane! Can't you run away or trick him?"

"No I can't!" Saffi answered, and she walked over to the saddle of the black horse. She opened one of the pockets and pulled out a scroll with a red and gold rope on it. "This is a contract he wrote and we both signed it. I had to sign it to keep my word. He already said that I couldn't get away, even if I tried. He also said that I couldn't destroy this contract. I'm not going to even try to. I have to go back! I'm not going to let Floriane suffer because I was thinking her. You can't imagine the fear I felt when I saw that...creature. His son might be worse than himself! I'm not going to let Floriane go in my place."

"But if you leave, Brenna and Sorrel are gonna go after Floriane. They'll believe that Floriane had caused you to leave! They blame her for everything these days!"

"That's why I don't plan to tell anyone!" She pushed, "You're the only one who knows! I'm not going to tell my children, especially Floriane! I'm going back in one month." Fabrice couldn't argue with his wife anymore; he was too heart-broken. He got up from the floor and hugged his wife.

"I don't want to lose you." He softly said and Saffi just hugged him back. She knew that she could never forgive herself if Floriane became a bride to a possible horrid monster.

* * *

Floriane laid on the floor of the second level in shock. She now knew the truth about what had happened. She grabbed her bouquet of flowers and stared at them with such anger. She wasn't going to come out and reveal that she overheard her parents. The last thing Floriane wanted was to argue with her mother and have everything revealed to the rest of the family. Floriane understood the reason on why her mother wasn't going to discuss the deal, but...she also knew her father's point as well. Fabrice was right: her half-siblings, especially Brenna, are going to go after her like a predator to prey. There was also another point that Floriane knew, but didn't discuss.

Floriane, Tanner and their half-siblings all share their mother. Floriane and Tanner had their father, but Brenna, Sorrel and Newell only have their mother left alive. If something horrible happened to Saffi, like death, then Brenna, Sorrel and Newell will be left on their own. Since Fabrice was their stepfather, he didn't have to legally take responsibility for them. Even if he could, the three of them wouldn't accept Fabrice. Floriane was already starting to picture what would happen if their mother left. Her half-siblings have been blaming her for things that weren't her fault. They would defiantly blame Floriane if Saffi left and never came back.

Before Floriane could think more about her parents' conversation, she heard a low mooing sound. She quickly realized that her brother must have been returning the cattle. She looked back down at ground level, seeing that her parents were heading towards the barn door. Floriane carefully walked over to the second floor window and went out the window. She grabbed a rope, used to bring hay inside through the window, and slid down it. She was sore and tired from mucking the stalls, but she had make sure that her parents didn't know that she was in the barn. She walked to the other side of the barn, in time to see Tanner bringing the cattle inside the barn.

"Floriane, where have you been up to?" Fabrice asked before following his son inside the barn.

"Resting." Floriane answered, trying not to sound suspicious. "I've been mucking out the stalls."

"I saw the work you put in." He answered, believing that his daughter wasn't up to anything.

"I came down to see if Tanner needed some help."

"Well, considering the work you put in the stalls, I decided to help him with the cattle. Why don't you go back inside the house?"

"Uh...no thank you," she said, "I can stay out here until dinner is ready." Fabrice saw that it was obvious that Floriane was still nervous about Brenna chasing her.

"Brenna is still making you worry?"

"Is it wrong for me to feel that way?"

"No, not really." Fabrice answered; just then Saffi came over to them. Fabrice quickly explained to her about the night before. Saffi rolled her eyes and groaned, not wanting to believe that Brenna behaved that way. Floriane wasn't going to try to get her mother to open up about anything. She didn't need her mother to know that she heard her.

It took twenty minutes for Tanner, Fabrice and Saffi to get the cattle in their stalls. They didn't let Floriane help because she already helped by cleaning the stalls. They believed that she didn't have to do anymore for the day. Just like before, the black horse just stared at Floriane. She had to pretend that nothing was wrong before her mother noticed. After the cattle were put away, the four of them went back inside the house. When they did, they found Sorrel, Brenna and Newell trying to open the trunks. Fabrice cleared his throat; when the three of them looked at him, he wasn't too happy.

"You said to wait until mama woke up!" Newell said before Fabrice could speak. "We went to wake her up; she wasn't in her room. So we believed that was more than proof that mama was up!" Fabrice was ready to argue, but Saffi stopped him. She shook her head at him; he quickly realized what she was trying to say. So he decided to back off; Newell just raised his head in victory.

"We've been trying to open them, but we can't." Sorrel added, "Do you have a key for these, mama?" Saffi just rolled her eyes as she walked up to the trunks. She lifted up two latches on each trunk and opened them.

Brenna almost squealed seeing beautiful dresses. The clothes in one trunk were shining in the last bit of sunlight. Brenna just went to the trunk full of jewelry and looked at the different pieces. Saffi went over to the trunk of jewelry, dug through the gems and pulled out Tanner's new fishing pole. Tanner smiled as his mother handed him the pole. Saffi was happy to see all her children happy with their gifts, but the thought about what would happen one month later was sticking out in her heart.


	9. Decision Made

The days went by and Saffi was feeling more miserable as the month was close to an end. She watched her Sorrel and Brenna enjoy their new clothes and jewelry, Newell enjoying riding his new horse and Tanner reeling in fresh fish for dinner. Saffi was as happy as any mother could be, but she couldn't get that monster's voice out of her head.

'You have one month to make your decision!' Saffi would hear in her head. 'You either come to face your punishment...or you give me your daughter, Floriane, as a bride for my son! Those are your only decisions!' Saffi kept the contract scroll in her room. She never let it out of there. At night when her husband was asleep, she would open the scroll and read it. She was hoping she could see another way out of it...but she couldn't find a loophole. Despite her worries, she kept them hidden from her children...especially Floriane. What made matters worse was that Floriane had her illness relapse again.

Floriane felt just as miserable as Saffi. She couldn't get out of bed early enough to make breakfast for her family. She felt weak, tired and-almost breathless. Because Floriane was ill again, her parents forced Sorrel and Brenna to do her work. Brenna still didn't want to do any kind of work that was meant for Floriane, but Saffi finally had enough. She took a paddle and used it to hit Brenna's bottom. Brenna was stunned that her mother did that to her. Because she didn't want it to happen again, she went and helped her sister with Floriane's chores. She would stare at Floriane's window when her little sister was looking out...as if she was waiting to show that Floriane wasn't sick.

Floriane never looked out the window when her sisters were outside. It wasn't worth seeing the sun with her sisters waiting to do something. Floriane was miserable, but it wasn't just because she was sick again. She felt horrible about when she overheard her mother tell her father what happened. Every time Floriane looked at her bouquet of flowers, she couldn't help but feel anger towards them. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling. It was if the flowers were an evil nightmare. Her drawings couldn't help her ignore the anger she had towards the flowers.

* * *

There were two days before the month was over. It was a very stormy day, one where the chores of the day were very limited. Brenna, Sorrel, and Tanner quickly did their chores before the storm got worse. Floriane was almost better from her relapse, but she still had the chills. Despite feeling cold, Floriane went ahead and made her family's meals for the day. She had to do some kind of chore before Brenna said she was faking being sick again.

The storm continued from the day into the night. The family had gathered around the dinner table to eat dinner. It was a silent meal except for the thunder and howling wind. They would also hear the shuffling noises from the nearby trees.

"This is a bad storm." Tanner said, "I hope it won't be bad tomorrow."

"If it's still around, then I'll excuse you from your chores tomorrow." Fabrice said, "I don't want any of you to get sick."

"You let Floriane get sick." Brenna said; all that did was anger her mother and stepfather.

"You say that again, Brenna, and I'll bring out the paddle again." Saffi warned; Brenna quickly closed her mouth. She really didn't want to feel that paddle again. "Well, since I'm now talking, I have something to tell you, my children." All five children gave their mother their full attention. "In two days, I need to make another trip."

"Is it about our father's business?" Newell asked, jumping out of his seat. Saffi knew that she couldn't tell the truth to her children, so she decided to lie.

"Yes, I suppose it is."

"Let me come, mother!" Newell pushed, "Please mother, let me go with you. I want to learn the business!"

"No, not yet, Newell. This trip...is going to take a long time. I really don't know how long I'll be gone." Saffi saw the disappointed look on Newell's face, but even she didn't know if she'd ever come back to her family.

"Do you...have to go?" Floriane softly answered, knowing what the answer is going to be.

"Yes, I do." Saffi answered, "I may be gone for a long time...maybe months."

"But mama, this place won't be the same without you." Sorrel said, "What if something horrible happens to you when you're gone?"

"I'm more concerned about what would happen with all of you if I don't go. If I don't go-then we may not be able to stay here anymore." All five children reacted to that, but Floriane was faking her reaction. Floriane knew that something worse than that would happen if her mother didn't go, but she knew that the other option was if she went in her mother's place.

"If it's that important, then go, mother." Tanner said, trying to sound reasonable.

"If it means looking a brighter future, go mama." Brenna finally said; Floriane rolled her eyes. She knew that her mother was trying to spare everyone's feelings, but she knew the truth.

After dinner was done, Floriane took the dirty dishes and cleaned them. Tanner offered to help, but she denied the help. Even though she didn't want his help, Tanner decided to stay in the kitchen to keep her company. He can see that there was something on his sister's mind, but he knew that she wouldn't talk about it.

"What do you think about mother's trip?" Floriane spoke, surprising her big brother.

"Well, if it means avoiding being out on the street, then she needs to go."

"What if-What if something happens that prevents her from coming back?"

"Where did that thought come from?" Tanner asked; Floriane quickly realized that she had to make some kind of excuse up. She couldn't tell her brother the truth. If she did, he would do whatever it takes not to lose her...or their mother.

"She was gone for so long when she went back to the city." She lied, "I was almost to the point that something horrible happened and she wasn't coming back." Her big brother walked up to his sister as she finished cleaning the last dish. He placed his hand on her back.

"I doubt that she would abandon us."

"No, I don't think she would either." She said, putting away the last clean dish. She then grabbed the lantern and lit it.

"Are you going outside?" He asked, watching her head towards the door.

"I want to visit someone." Tanner just nodded his head as his sister walked out into the rain.

The rain continued to batter down on the earth. Floriane carefully made her way to the vegetable garden. The soil was now thick mud and difficult to walk in. She wasn't worried about the mud since she wasn't wearing shoes, which made it easier for her to walk. Floriane stopped in front of a stone swing. The stone was in the shape of a dog, with the ropes of the swing through its mouth, and around the dog's neck was a cross. Floriane, Tanner and their parents saw the swing as their own place to pray. Sorrel, Brenna and Newell didn't like the idea of praying to a cross when it's used as a swing.

Floriane sat down on the wet swing and placed her lantern next her feet. She was in a lot of thought. She understood why her mother is not telling Tanner, Newell, Sorrel and Brenna about the contract, but why won't her mother tell her about it? Floriane wondered what would happen to her mother if she did leave. What if she can't come back to her family? What if this monster takes her mother's life as the punishment?

A clap of thunder brought Floriane out of very deep thought. She raised her head and saw the window of her parents' room. She saw her parents getting ready for bed, but she also saw her mother holding something in her hands. Floriane quickly dimmed down her lantern, so that her parents didn't know she was outside. She watched her father trying to comfort her mother; it was obvious that Saffi was struggling with her decision. She then watched her mother place whatever was in her hands down on her desk. Saffi blew out the candle and the room went dark.

'Two days left,' Floriane thought, 'the month will be ending in two days. If mother goes back to that monster, she could lose her life in the process. If mother's gone, Newell, Sorrel and Brenna will be left alone. They'll come after me, Tanner and papa if that turns out to be true.' Floriane looked up into the dark sky; the rain continued to batter down and her hair was sticking to her neck. Suddenly, the clouds opened up, revealing a little sight of stars. She stood up from the swing and looked up. Three stars twinkled one by one; Floriane believed that it was a sign. She took in a deep breath, turned around and looked at the cross on the dog statue's neck. She put on a stern face and made the sign of the cross. 'I can't let mother go back. If she goes back, this family will fall apart. She's not going to tell anyone; I was lucky to overhear her. I can't let her do this. If this monster wants a body for his powerful flowers...he can take mine.'

* * *

Floriane quietly walked up to her mother's room. She opened the door and saw her parents were asleep. She took a deep breath and quietly made her way over to the desk. There, on the desk, is the contract scroll with the red and gold rope on it. She grabbed the scroll and looked at her parents; they were sleeping so soundly that they didn't know Floriane was there.

'I'm doing this for you, mama.' Floriane thought as she carefully got out of Saffi and Fabrice's room. After taking the scroll, she went down to the basement, where all the coal for the oven and fireplaces are stored. She lit her lantern again so she could read the scroll. It had said about everything she overheard her mother tell Fabrice. There was one thing that she didn't discuss: it was how to get back. The scroll said that if Saffi decided to face her punishment, all she had to do is tell the black horse to take her to his master's home and hop onto his back.

She rolled the scroll back up and tied it with the rope. She grabbed handfuls of coal dust and threw it on her blond hair. The coal dust soon covered her blond hair, making it black hair. After disguising her hair, she grabbed her lantern and the scroll and left the basement. She blew out the fire in the lantern before it attracted any kind of attention. Floriane took the scroll and brought it up to her room. She carefully looked through her clothes and pulled out her best working clothes: a gray simple dress and a fur-shawl. She then grabbed her dark purple cloak and pulled the hood over her head. She then placed a letter on her pillow, explaining to her mother why she took her place. Floriane, grabbed her flowers and lantern, walked down the stairs and went out to the barn. She lit her lantern; the two horses looked at her, but she went up to the black horse.

"You knew what had happen all along?" She whispered to the black horse; he nodded 'yes'. Floriane grabbed the saddle and reins for the black horse. She then led the horse out of the barn and out to the street. She looked back at her home, knowing that this may be the last time she sees it. She took a deep breath, blew out the lantern's light, looked back at the black horse and said: "Take me to your master's home." The horse nodded his head and Floriane hopped onto his back. The horse reared up and galloped away from the house.

Floriane held onto the reins tightly so that she wouldn't fall off the horse. She held onto the bouquet of flowers as well, believing that they might hold something good. She placed the scroll in her purse so that she won't lose it. She kept the hood over her head so that the rain and wind wouldn't ruin her hair disguise. The horse's hooves pounded the ground like they were thunder. Floriane knew that her mother's heart will be broken, but she couldn't let this monster take her mother away.


	10. Secret of the Dark

Floriane never released her grip on the reins. She continued to hear the thundering noise that the horse's hooves made. She kept her eyes closed so that the rain didn't blur her vision. She knew that she was going to end up sacrificing her life, but she couldn't let her mother do it. The family needs Saffi more than her. Out of the blue, the horse's hooves slowed down. The thunder became lighter until it ceased. When the thunder stopped, so did the horse. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings.

There was nothing that she recognized for it was lightly raining and it was still dark out. She quickly remembered that she attached her lantern to the horse. She removed her lantern and lit it up. The light didn't reach very far; it was if something was preventing the light from reaching out. 'I have a bad idea about this, but I'm doing this for my mother.'

"Who goes there?" A voice said; Floriane turned around and saw a woman wearing a blue and red simple dress. She was also holding a lantern, but it was a little bigger and newer than Floriane's lantern. "What brings you here?" Floriane knew that she had to think of something.

"I'm here for my punishment." She said; then she pulled the bouquet of flowers off the saddle. She showed them to the woman, thinking it might help with what she was talking about.

"Oh yes." The woman said, "You're the one who rudely picked my master's flowers without asking." Floriane realized that her plan had worked. The woman thought Floriane was Saffi.

Floriane's plan was to disguise herself as her mother. She had some similarities to her mother, but the one big difference was their hair color. Saffi had black hair and Floriane had blond hair. So she poured coal dust on her hair; she also put her hood over her head so that the rain won't wash it away. She believed that it would be enough to make anyone believe she was Saffi. Floriane would rather lay her life down for her mother than have Saffi die-or marry a hideous monster.

"So, you've decided to come and face your punishment?" The woman asked, "Why didn't you have your daughter come?"

"A real mother wouldn't let her children suffer for something she did." Floriane said, believing that's why her mother didn't tell her.

"Hmm, you did the right thing for your children." The woman said, "Since you also returned the flowers, I think my master will take it easy with you. Right now, he's not here. This place is his son's home. The horse that brought you here belongs to him; that's why you were brought here instead of my master's cottage. This place was made to protect my master's son, but it's also a place of safety for everyone who lives here."

"Like you?"

"Yes, and my little one. Right now, I'll bring you inside before we get sick from the rain." Floriane just nodded her head and followed the woman. The lantern from the woman's lantern seemed more powerful than Floriane's little lantern. The light soon showed a flight of stone stairs. They walked up them and stopped in front of a large door. The woman grabbed the iron handle and opened the door. "Please enter." When Floriane entered, she was very shocked.

The entrance looked like a grand hall, as if this was a richly home. There were four hallways leading to different paths and a huge staircase in front. There were a few candles lighting the entrance. 'All right, there's more than what my mother and me first thought. It's obvious that no one could have a home with a beautiful entrance without having a lot of money.'

"I know this place is much different than my master's cottage." The woman said, standing next to her. "He wanted to give anything his boy could want." Hearing that made Floriane think about her father. She remembered how he would carve different things out of wood to entertain her and Tanner. Her father even made a small windmill toy for her. Now, she just hoped that her father would continue entertaining her big brother.

"Sounds like my husband." Floriane said, continuing her charade. Suddenly, they felt a chill and some of the candles went out.

"Oh dear."

"What?" Floriane said; resisting looking scared.

"He's coming down." The woman answered; Floriane looked at her. "My master's son." A deep growl pierced the silence and the floor shook by, what Floriane thought, by footsteps. In the darkness, two bright white lights appeared.

"Who's in my home, Kamila?" A male growled; Kamila swallowed her fears.

"This is the woman that picked the flowers that your father made for your mother." Kamila answered, trembling.

Considering how much Kamila was trembling, Floriane believed on how horrible this person was. Floriane kneed down and placed the bouquet of flowers in front of her, as if it was an offering. Another growl pierced the air as five long huge claws reached out. The claws swiped the flowers into the darkness.

"Get her out of my sight, Kamila." The voice said, "Put her in the servant quarters with you. Make sure she works on making sure my home is clean for my father's return."

"Yes, sire." Kamila whispered and the two white lights vanished into the darkness. The room started to warm up as the candles re-lit themselves, showing the empty staircase. Floriane saw that whoever was took the bouquet. "Oh goodness." Kamila said, falling to her knees. "I thought he was going to take matters into his own hands."

"Fearsome." Floriane finally said, after finding the courage to speak again.

"If you thought my master was horribly scary, his son is worse." Floriane's thought was true, now hearing it from someone who lived here. After seeing the claws, she knew that a monster lived here. "Come now." Kamila added as she stood back up. "I'll take you into the kitchen for a quick meal and then to your quarters."

"Very well." Floriane said, now seeing what Kamila looked like in the light.

Kamila wasn't a young woman, but she certainly wasn't old. She was wearing a red and blue simple outfit with a yellow coat. What was the most eye-catching was the necklace around her neck. It was made of black and white pearls with a red star in the middle. Floriane couldn't help but feel a strange energy that seemed to be coming from the necklace.

After a few minutes of following Kamila, they approached the door to the kitchen. Kamila opened it and Floriane entered and saw the huge kitchen. What also caught her eye was a small table that had six people around it: Two women, three men and one child. She noticed that all of them were wearing the same necklace that Kamila was wearing. One of the women stood up with a very angry look.

"I can't believe she's here!" She said, but Kamila got between Floriane and her.

"She brought back the flowers, Eleanor!" Kamila said, "She came back to face her punishment." The other servants at the table stayed out of the way of the ladies. Kamila and Eleanor argued with each other until Kamila slapped her. Eleanor groaned as she held her face.

"Stay out of the garden if you know what's good for you." She warned and then left the kitchen. Floriane quickly thought that Eleanor was the woman that recused her mother from the rainstorm. Despite the other servants didn't react to the argument, the child stood up and walked up to Floriane and Kamila.

"Is there anything I can do, mother?"

"Do we have anymore dinner?"

"Just the soup."

"Very well." Kamila answered, "Lacey, get a bowl of soup for our new...'guest'." Lacey curtsied to her mother and went over to the stove. Kamila then brought Floriane over to the table to introduce the other servants. "This is Sawyer, Hadley, Tarrant and Nelon." Floriane curtsied to show some respect.

"What's your name?" Tarrant asked, almost shaking.

"Saffi." Floriane answered, not risking revealing her real name. She knew that once she says her real name, her plan will all for naught. She already figured that Eleanor knew about the situation before anyone else. Floriane would rather lay her life down for her mother than have Saffi die. She certainly wasn't going to become a monster's bride, especially with the attitude he and his father has.

After the introductions, Lacey brought over Floriane's dinner and sat down with her mother. Everyone went back to eating as Floriane slowly ate. She really didn't have an appetite after everything's that happened, but she knew that she'd need the energy for later. The soup had a unique taste, as if it was made with other ingredients she wasn't aware of.

Dinner was soon done and everyone, including Floriane, went to the servant quarters. Kamila opened the door to an empty room and told Floriane to enter. There wasn't much in the room: only a table, a clock, a dresser and a bed.

"I know there isn't much, but it's enough to keep someone comfortable." Kamila said as Floriane stared at the room. "I'll wake you in the morning to get you started."

"Fine." Floriane said, "Have a good night." She then closed the door. She walked over to the other side of the room, where a small window was placed. The small curtains were open, but there was no light coming from outside. All she saw was darkness and the reflection of the glass from her small lantern.

'Don't be angry with me, mother. I chose to come here. I couldn't let this monster harm you because you were thinking of me. I don't what the future will have for me, but as long as you're alive, it will be worth it.'


	11. Rotten Behavoir

The next day, Floriane heard a knock on her door. She opened her eyes and saw the sun shining through the small window. The events of yesterday still going through her mind like a raging river. She slowly got out of the bed and walked over to the door. When she opened the door, Kamila was there with an outfit similar to her own. The outfit was red and yellow with a gray wimple.

"I brought you your cleaning clothes." Kamila said, "They will be comfortable when you wear them, whether you're working or not." Floriane just nodded her head. She wasn't brought to make friends. She gently took the clothes so she could get dressed and closed the door.

Floriane carefully removed her cloak and hood. She looked at the mirror, attached to the dresser, and saw that the coal dust hasn't rubbed off a lot. Her hair was still black, but it was beginning to wear off. Floriane had to find more coal dust, or completely hide her hair. If she was going to be working as hard as she thinks, she won't be able to hide her hair for very long.

She put the wimple on her head, so that the coal dust doesn't wipe on the other clothes, and put the red and yellow dress on. She left her own clothes on the bed, hoping that no one will take them and notice the coal dust. She opened the door and saw Kamila was still waiting for her.

"Follow me." Kamila said, "I'll take you to your first chore." Once again, Floriane nodded her head and followed her.

She made sure that she followed Kamila, but she can't help but notice the wonderful beauty. There were beautiful paintings of landscapes, long rugs in wonderful colors and statues made of white marble. She didn't understand why she was feeling this way. She knew that she shouldn't be impressed since this monster's father threatened her mother. She rubbed her forehead, trying to rid herself of her impressive thoughts.

"Are you all right?" Floriane looked up at Kamila, who was looking at her with an odd look on her face.

"I'm fine."

"If you're sure about that." Kamila added as she reached for the handle of a dark brown door. She opened it and pulled out two mops, two buckets and two cloths. "We're going to be cleaning the dining hall."

"We?"

"Yes, we. I know you'll have problems with Roden, so you deserve someone on your side." Floriane raised an eyebrow, not knowing what Kamila was talking about. "Roden is the name of my master's son." Floriane couldn't resist groaning as she pinched her nose.

"So, what are we cleaning?"

"The dining hall. It's always in need of cleaning after Roden eats."

"Don't tell me: he's a slob."

Kamila softly groaned, "Yes, but its not on purpose. As you've seen his long fingers, it's not easy for him to hold his food correctly."

"It doesn't matter, he's still a slob."

"Will you stop saying that word?" Kamila raised her voice, "Just-follow me so we can get this messy job done."

"Lead the way." Floriane calmly said and then started to think inside her head. 'Animals are always slobs, whether it's on purpose or not.'

* * *

When they reached the dining hall, it had the smell of cooked eggs and sausage. Floriane shook her head at the sight of the huge square table. There were long claw marks with tiny pieces of food stuck in them and dirty dishes with claw marks as well.

"Disgusting." Floriane said out loud.

"I don't blame you, but it's not his fault."

"So you say."

"You don't have to be so rotten!"

Floriane had enough as she stood up to Kamila. "His father was rotten to me and threatened me! His son was rotten last night! Give me one reason on why I shouldn't be rotten back to them?"

Kamila was about to argue back, but stopped knowing that Floriane had a point. She remembered when Roden's father was nasty to her because her child made fun of Roden. Kamila argued with Roden's father until he made the same point as Floriane. She took two steps backwards, away from Floriane.

"I can't give you a reason, Saffi, because I can't think of one."

"I didn't think you could." Floriane said as her body relaxed. "Shall we get started?" Kamila nodded in defeat.

* * *

'I guess I can't blame her for her behavior.' Kamila thought as she cleaned the table. 'I acted the same way when Roden's father threatened me.' Kamila never forgot the day when she met Roden's father.

Her daughter was the one who got them into the mess, but then again, Kamila also believed that Roden and his father were so monstrous that they didn't deserve to exist. Roden's father went after Lacey at first, but Kamila came to her daughter's defense. So instead of punishing Lacey, he punished Kamila. She was in the same situation, even though she didn't want to admit it.

Kamila knew that 'Saffi' didn't know the whole truth, but how can she by the way she's acting now?

After an hour and a half, the dining hall table was finally clean and fixed. Since Floriane knew that she was still considered a 'prisoner', she decided to stay in her room. Kamila watched her leave the dining hall. She then walked towards the kitchen door. When she entered the kitchen, she saw her daughter with Tarrant. They were cleaning the kitchen after Tarrant's parents cooked Roden's breakfast.

"Hello mother." Lacey said as she sat up from cleaning the floor. "How are you today?"

"I'm well. I can see that the two of you are busy."

"Yes," Tarrant said, continuing to clean the stove. "His appetite was ravenous today. Then again, whenever he seems unhappy, he's ravenous."

"He's always unhappy." Lacey said, "Not that I-blame him."

"Not anymore, you don't." Tarrant pointed out and bit his tongue. He quickly realized the dumb mistake he just made. "I-I-I didn't mean-"

"We know you didn't." Kamila said as she walked over to the window. She looked out and saw the magnificent rock gardens. "You, your parents and Eleanor are the only ones who know about Roden's broken hearts. Me, my daughter and Hadley are the ones who got ourselves in trouble."

"You only got in trouble because you and Hadley were thinking of your children." Tarrant spoke up. "I would call it noble because you were thinking of your children."

"A real parent would." Kamila replied, "Saffi is another example: she came here instead of letting her daughter take her place."

"Do you think we'll be free, mama? All of us?"

"I believe so. I believe that we'll all be free of whatever prison all of us are in. When that will be? I don't know, but I believe that whatever has caused Roden's father to act this will be the first step."


	12. A Muddy Dig

The sunshine-geld petals pulsated from the bouquet as the stems grew into roots. They tangled themselves on a white crystal with four points. The crystal gave off a golden color as the petals pulsated. The golden color tried to shine through the dark room, but it couldn't break the darkness. A deep growl broke the room's silence as five long claws reached out and touched the crystal. The claws gently held the crystal, but not enough to crush it.

"Every time I look at your golden petals, you remind me of mother's apple hair." Another growl came as the claws scratched the crystal. Knocking then disrupted the growl. "Come in." A small light came in the room as a door opened. A woman quickly entered the room and closed the door. "What is it, Sawyer?"

"We've received another shipment from...her, Roden." Another deep growl pierced the air. "Forgive me, Roden, but you said it yourself: you wanted to know whenever we got something from her."

"I know, but I can't stop thinking about it."

"Roden, remember that you're not at fault for any of this."

"Then why did her mother blame me and stole her away from me? I'm blamed for everything now."

"You are not, Roden. You need to understand that this wasn't your fault nor anything else." Roden rolled his eyes as he held his huge black blanket closer to him.

Breaking through the darkness, a soft blue light pierced through. Roden and Sawyer looked over at the origin: a blue flower bent over with withered petals that seemed to be growing out of a large golden crystal with multiple points. Roden snarled as he walked up to the golden crystal. A mist swirled around the crystal and an image appeared. It was Floriane, sitting on the floor of the room she was given. Her face was full of irritation, with furrowed eyebrows and tears streaming down her face.

"Roden, you can't break the crystal, even if you wanted to."

Roden deeply growled as his eyes glowed white. "She's been here for three days and she still makes my scales crawl.

"It might just be me, sire, but I think there's more than this 'Saffi' that she's letting on."

"Why?"

"I don't know. It's one of those things you just feel. I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I can't help but feel it."

"I'll take what you said under advisement." He growled at the crystal's image of Floriane. "Right now, she's going to a cleaning maid until my father comes."

"Very well, Roden. I shall go downstairs and unpack the shipment." Sawyer walked over to the door and grabbed the door handle. She opened the door and looked back at Roden. "Remember, sire, your heart can't be sealed away forever. One day, you need to let the gate open again."

Roden watched her walk out of the room and leaving him in the dark again. He looked back at the golden crystal. The mist vanished and so did the image of Floriane. He growled and walked towards another door in the room. He went through the door and entered a huge bedroom. The room was completely with everything...except a bed. He walked to the other side, where a glass door led to a balcony. He opened the glass door, held his blanket close to him and jumped off the balcony.

He landed on the squishy mud as the rain continued to batter the ground. He held his blanket closer to his big body as he walked deeper into his garden. As he walked past the plants, all the flowers pulsated and glowed. It was if the flowers were giving him their attention.

Roden soon stopped at a muddy circle. It was full of mud with no flowers growing in the circle. The flowers, making the ring around the muddy circle, started to glow and pulsate, like the others. Their petals opened up and blue dusting came out of the flowers. The dusting came together to make a cloud, which floated over to Roden's blanket. The blanket absorbed the cloud, creating a shield and changing the color from black to light blue. When Roden felt the magic in the blanket, he reached out and dug at the mud.

Mud flew from under him, like a dog, and would land above the flowers. The glowing flowers created a shield, preventing the mud from landing on top of them. Roden continued to dig until he could fit inside the hole. At the bottom of the hole was a huge thick bag. He pulled the bag out out of the hole and then himself. He opened his bag, reached in and pulled out a tiny green crystal. A small smile came across Roden's hidden face as the tiny crystal shimmered in the light of the glowing flowers. The smile left as quickly as it came when he held the tiny crystal in his huge hand.

He placed it back in his bag and tied it back up. He swiped the mud he dug up off the flowers and back into the hole. The shield, surrounding the blanket, soon vanished and the blanket went back to its original color. When the hole was filled, he grabbed his bag and went back down the same path he took.

* * *

 **Apologies for the short chapter  
**


	13. Nelon's Words

All the servants sat around the kitchen table for dinner. Floriane stayed near the stove because she didn't feel welcome at the table. For the past three days, Floriane decided not to be at the servant's table in the kitchen. The reason behind that was because Eleanor would angrily stare at her, as if it was a death stare.

* * *

Floriane had figured it out on her own that Eleanor was the woman that saved Saffi from the storm. She knew that she had to keep up her act and disguise around everyone, but especially around Eleanor. She made sure that her hair was still black and hidden. She had to hide her hair because she knew that the coal dust would mark anything in contact with it. Hiding her hair was the least of Floriane's worries.

She had worked as a cleaning maid for the past three days. She constantly cleaned the dining tables and almost every floor in the mansion. Floriane didn't have to guess to know that this house was a mansion. It was much too big be considered a cottage. One afternoon while she was cleaning, she overheard one of the servants saying that their new guest was making everyone nervous, except Kamila. That put Floriane on high alert, thinking that she had better be on her guard before something horrible happens.

Today, this afternoon, the candles went out when she was cleaning the floor. She thought the candles ran out of wax, until she heard a deep growl. When she heard that, she took a deep breath and cleaned the area she was still working on. After a minute passed, the candles re-lit themselves. Floriane felt a little relief when the candles gave off its light again. She didn't have to guess that it was Roden who walked passed and growled. She didn't have to know what power he possesses since he can make candles go out and light again. She didn't have to know more than that.

Another thing that's happened was this odd feeling she's been feeling in her heart. At night, around midnight, Floriane woke up with something pushing down on her chest. There was nothing physically there, but she always saw a green light. She couldn't move to see where the light was coming from, but whatever it was, Floriane wasn't going to let it frighten her.

* * *

Since Eleanor was giving off such an angry stare, Floriane stayed by the stove and ate her food. The servants had noticed it, but Kamila was the only one brave enough to stand up to Eleanor.

"You need to leave Saffi alone, Eleanor." Kamila said, finally having enough.

"Why should I?" Eleanor spoke as she sat up from her seat. "She got herself in this mess."

"It doesn't mean that she should be constantly reminded of it."

Floriane just briefly listened to Eleanor and Kamila's talk. She was still surprised that Kamila was sticking her neck out for her. She started to remember how much her mother would stick her neck out to figure out what was making Floriane so sick. She quickly shook her head, trying to rid herself of those memories, because she was here to save her mother, nothing else.

"Try not to pay attention to Eleanor." She heard a male speak. She looked up and saw Nelon. "It's her job to make sure that everyone is safe from outsiders."

"Like me?"

"Sadly, yes, but you have Kamila standing up for you. It wouldn't surprise me if you have more support from Hadley, Tarrant and Lacey."

"But everyone's scared of Eleanor, except Kamila." Floriane watched Nelon push his salt-and-pepper hair out of his eyes. "It's best that I don't try to put up a fight. I'm here because I was thinking of my daughter. What's the point of fighting when I'm here to be punished?"

"Would your daughter want you to give up that easily?"

Floriane softly groaned because she knew the answer to that. Her mother, Saffi, wouldn't come here without argument. If the same situation happened to Floriane, she wouldn't give up that fast either. "No, I suppose not."

"Hadley wasn't going to give up when he got in trouble for thinking about his children." When Floriane heard that, she was very surprised to know that her mother wasn't the only one. "His children was playing in a tree when one of them fell and landed on a little bird. The bird belonged to Roden's parents and Roden's father was furious over it."

"So what happened?"

"Hadley came here to be a servant rather than have his children be servants. He said he would rather not see his family again than have his children suffer." Floriane looked over at Hadley, who was watching Kamila and Eleanor get into each other's faces. She felt very bad for him, knowing that he hasn't seen his family in some time.

"I believe that he'll see his family again, especially his children."

"Sawyer, Tarrant and I believe that. We also believe that Kamila and Lacey will be back home as well. As for Eleanor, all she cares about is keeping this place safe from outsiders. She knew that if she doesn't, she would be answering to Roden's parents, especially Roden's mother."

"It certainly explains why Eleanor is always frowning."

"So, don't be too angry with her. She's just trying to do her job." Nelon gently took Floriane's empty bowl and went off to clean the dishes.

Floriane looked back at the servants at the table, including Eleanor and Kamila facing off. She knew Hadley's story, but she wondered how everyone else got themselves in each situation.

"She's an outsider!" Eleanor said, catching Floriane's attention. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm going to make sure that she's not going to harm anything in this house!"

"How can she when she's got one person near her at all time?" Kamila argued back. Floriane could tell that the argument was going to escalate, so before that happened, she quickly left the kitchen.

* * *

Floriane slowly made her way back to her room. It was breaking her heart that Hadley gave himself up for his family, just like Saffi was willing to give herself up for Floriane. The conclusion that Floriane made was anyone who stood up to Roden's parents, they either had to be punished or have their children punished. She believed that Roden and his father were truly black-hearted monsters that don't care about who they hurt, whether it's a child or a parent.

'Monsters. Very real monsters in body and in heart.' Floriane thought to herself. She was soon close to her room; all she had to do was walk past a dark hallway.

She was walking past the hallway, but as soon as she reached the other end of the opening, a small light reached out to her. She stopped in her tracks and looked down the hallway. She was very surprised because what she saw-was a floating flower. The flower was floating at the other end of the hallway and it was glowing purple.

"Floriane." She heard a gently voice speak, and Floriane believed that it came from the flower. "Come with me, Floriane."

"No, absolutely not!" She told the flower, wanting to walk away.

"Please Floriane, your help is needed."

"No! If you work for Roden or his family, then I won't have anything to do with it."

"Please Floriane, for everyone's sake, including your own!" Floriane desperately wanted to walk away from the flower's voice, but it was if her heart was making it difficult.

She then bent over in pain, with her hands over her heart. A bright green light appeared under her hands. Floriane quickly removed her hands and saw that the light, she had been seeing for the past three days, was coming from her heart. When she removed her hands, the pain slowly went away. She couldn't help but wonder if this green light was connected to what this flower was doing.

"Come, Floriane, if you want the answer. " Floriane realized that she didn't have a choice anymore. Her heart was already telling her what she should do. With her left hand over heart, to hide the light, she walked down the hallway and towards the floating flower. When she got the end, she saw what the flower looked like. The stem was purple, long with thorns and leaves shaped like raindrops. The petals were long and thin, and were blue with orange stripes in the middle. "There are things here that I think you should see."


	14. Pulsating Crystals

Floriane followed the floating flower through dark hallways and a few dark staircases. Her mind was telling her that she was going to be in a lot of trouble if she got caught, but her heart was telling her to get to the bottom of the mysterious glowing flower. The green light, which appeared where her heart was, never went away the whole way. It was almost like she was being controlled, but in a way she wasn't.

"This area of the mansion is only touched by Roden." The flower spoke as it reached a staircase facing a tall window.

"Then why bring me here?" Floriane asked, "If anyone catches me here, I'm going to be in deep trouble."

"Quit arguing the point. You're so busy with the obvious fact that you're not wanting to know other facts that might change your mind."

"What do you mean by that?"

The flower then floated up the stairs and Floriane quickly followed. "You're too angry with Roden and his father that you don't want to know why he acts like this."

"Why should I care? His father threatened my mother. He punished Hadley and Kamila because of what their children did. Why should I care about why they act like this?"

At the top of the staircase, there were two doors. They were almost side-by-side and the same shade of red. The floating flower went through the door on the right by a crack in the door. Floriane finally started to fight against her own heart. She almost bent over in pain when she turned to go down the stairs.

'Stop it!' Floriane thought to herself, 'I must not let myself be revealed or my mother will pay the price.'

"Come inside and the pain will go away." She heard the flower speak. She looked back at the partially open door. Floriane really had enough as she reached the first stair. "No, Floriane, please! You're the only one who can rid of the sadness and hatred that plagues this place." Floriane stopped in her tracks when she heard that.

She started to remember the last time she had the dream about the blue flower growing out of a crystal. She remembered the male voice that said she was the only one to make the curtain of sadness vanish. She sighed as she looked back at the partly open door. She swallowed all the worries she could and went up to the door. Her pain was slowly easing as her hand reached the handle. She pushed the door, peered in and was really surprised.

The room was filled with different crystals in different colors. It was if all the crystals had grown in the room naturally, like they would in a cave. It was almost as if Floriane had entered the magical room of her dreams. Every crystal was pulsating a different light, responding that there was someone in the room. She walked up to a white crystal and gently touched it. The crystal stopped pulsating and made a constant glow. The energy was bringing a smile to her face for the first time since she came.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She heard the flower's voice.

"It reminds me of a dream I was having before I came here."

"This room is full of a pleasant energy that was made to bring happiness. Sadly, Roden's broken heart has created this curtain of sadness. It has blanketed over the whole place, except this room." Soon, the flower, with the purple stem, blue petals with orange stripes, came out of hiding. It came out from behind the crystal Floriane had touched. "The sadness isn't only coming from Roden."

"I didn't think it would. It's probably coming from all the servants downstairs. They're being held here and their sadness is coming from not seeing their families again."

"You're stating the obvious without having all the facts again."

"No, I'm not. Nelon told me about what happened to Hadley. It must've happened to the others!"

"Did you know that Nelon, Sawyer and Tarrant chose to stay here?" Floriane raised an eyebrow as she removed her hand off the white crystal. "They weren't punished. They chose to stay here because they care about Roden."

"Why? He and his father punished the others. Why do they care about them?"

"Because they know the truth about their pain. It's not just Roden who's suffering. His parents are suffering too." The flower then floated over a lavender crystal with multiple points. The flower went to the top of the crystal and the stem grew into it. Roots started to grow and tangle themselves deep into the crystal. "Sometimes, the reason behind someone's hatred is because of a broken heart."

Floriane brought her eyes down after hearing the flower's words. She was beginning to feel-pity towards Roden. Her mind was still trying to fight by reminding her of what Roden's father threatened her mother, but the flower's words that Roden and his parents are suffering had touched her heart.

"Look, I understand that you're telling me that he suffering from a broken heart, but..."

"I know, but I had to try to let you know that you shouldn't be this angry, and especially not towards Roden. Remember, it's his father who did this to you and your mother, not Roden."

Floriane knew that the flower was right about that, but she couldn't help not feeling a small bit of anger to him. She couldn't help believing that it was Roden's idea that in order for Floriane to save her mother, she had to marry him. She took in a breath and touched the lavender crystal. The crystal stopped pulsating and made a constant glow, responding to Floriane's touch.

"All right, I'll-try not to be angry towards him."

"Thank you, Floriane."

"You won't tell anyone who I really am, are you?"

"No, your secret is safe with me. I'll also know if you want to come back here. I'll show up and bring you here when it's safe to be here. As I said before, this part of the mansion isn't touched by anyone except Roden."

"How am I going to get back to my room? All those hallways and stairs are very dark." Just then, a green light caught her attention. It was the same green light that appeared where her heart was. It became an orb as it lifted off her chest and floated over to the door.

"Follow the light. Your heart knows the way." The flower said as stood straight up and opened its petals. Floriane looked at the flower one more time before turning away and head towards the door.

She followed the orb through the stairs and the halls until they reached the door of her room. The orb went through the door while Floriane opened the door and closed it behind her. When they were alone in the room, the green orb went back to Floriane's heart. It disappeared as soon as it touched her heart. She groaned as she gently placed her hand over her hand. She was tired of fighting between her mind and her heart. She didn't know which one was right, but for the moment, she wanted to sleep on it. She went into her bed and went to sleep, wondering about what magic causes flowers to talk and hearts to fly out of people.


	15. A Slap and Discovery

Another three days passed since Floriane saw the crystal room. The energy that she felt stayed with her and kept her smiling. It was something she hadn't felt in years, not since she got sick. Floriane couldn't resist the smile on her face, even when she's working.

* * *

The flower that led her to the room had appeared to her on the second day. It led her back to the crystal room again. All the crystals pulsated, responding to Floriane's presence. She couldn't resist touching the white crystal again. Out of all the beautiful crystals, the white one held something special. Floriane wanted to stay and keep her hands on the white crystal, but the flower warned her when she had to leave before Roden found out. The magic green light, which always appeared on her heart, led her back down to her room.

* * *

Everyone had noticed the change in Floriane. Nothing could express how surprised they were. They knew something was up, but they weren't going to point it out. Eleanor really wanted to know what was up with her, but Kamila was still standing up for Floriane. The one other thing they noticed that every time Roden passed by her, she removed her smile. So they were trying to put the pieces together, believing that there was something else involved. Despite they already know the fact that Floriane doesn't do anything when Roden passes her by, seeing her smile all the time was enough proof that something was going on.

* * *

The fourth day seemed like all the other days, but Floriane got word that Roden's father was coming by tomorrow afternoon. Floriane knew that this was going to be the day she would face the man who threatened her mother. She didn't care if it would cost her her life. She didn't want her family to be harmed.

Floriane worked harder than all the other days combined. She didn't care about breaks or food until dinner bell was called. Everyone saw how exhausted and weak she was and they knew it was because of the thought of meeting Roden's father. She stayed near the stove, as usual, just so that she could stay away from Eleanor. The servants can tell that she was getting ready to fall to the floor. Kamila sat up from her seat and walked over to Floriane."

"Come sit with us, Saffi." Kamila said, but Floriane shook her head. "Saffi, you're going to fall to the floor. We all know how hard you've been working."

"I don't care. It's obvious that I'm not welcome."

"You never had been." They heard Eleanor speak up.

Kamila finally had enough she marched over to Eleanor. "I had enough of you!"

"She got herself in trouble, not me!" Eleanor argued.

"You need to let it go! She came here to face her punishment from the master's father, not you! She also brought back the flowers! Even someone as arrogant as you shouldn't be this rotten!"

"Rotten? Who are you calling 'rotten'?"

"Don't even try to intimidate me! You did that once before; you're not going to do it again!"

Eleanor was getting ready to lose it. She pushed Kamila out of the way and marched up to Floriane. All the other servants stood up from the seat, worried about what Eleanor was going to do. Lacey, Kamila's daughter, went under the table to avoid seeing anything bad happen.

"I don't care about who's going to protect you." Eleanor threatened, "You got yourself into this mess and you're the only one who can get yourself and your family out of it!"

When it sounded like her family was threatened, Floriane had enough. She dropped her plate and smacked Eleanor in the face. Everyone gasped at the sight. Floriane took multiple breaths as she stared at Eleanor with an angry face.

Eleanor's head was turned in the direction of the slap. Her left cheek was turning red as she touched it. She had a stunned look on her face, as if she wasn't expecting that.

"Never threatened my family-again!" Floriane said and then she walked away from the servants. She also left the kitchen and went towards her room.

* * *

"My, my, that was brave." Hadley managed to say when Eleanor faced everyone.

"It was a matter of time before you got hit." Kamila said as she got up from the floor.

Eleanor never spoke a word and continued to leave her hand on her face. "Hmm, you're right." She said and Kamila raised her eyebrows.

"So-you finally admit it?" She asked and Eleanor just nodded.

Eleanor then left the room. Since no one else was looking, she finally smiled. _'Saffi finally proved to me how important her family is to her. I'll finally back off on her. I think when Waldemar finds out, he won't harm her.'_

Just then, she heard a clock chime. Eleanor guessed that there was a half hour before bedtime. So she decided to go upstairs and check on Roden. Even though she knew that he was probably not wanting be disturbed while he stares at his different sized and colored crystals, it was her responsibility to take care of him while his parents were away.

* * *

"She shouldn't have threatened my family." Floriane said with her hand on the white crystal.

"She's trying to intimidate you." The flower, growing out of the lavender crystal, said.

"Well, she got what she deserved. I don't care what she plans to do later." Floriane then took a deep breath. "If I'm around for it."

"Why say that?"

"Roden's father threatened my mother. I have a very good idea on what he planned to with her."

"I doubt he would go after your family."

"No, not that. I believe that he was planning to kill her."

"I don't think he will."

"Why? He threatened my mother, Kamila and Hadley. What makes you think that he wouldn't kill my mother? I've already heard that the flowers my mother picked were flowers he made for Roden's mother."

"Even though that's true, Roden's father would never take a life unless his family is in danger."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not believing you." Floriane finally turned her head and faced the flower. "He put so much fear into my mother that she didn't tell anyone besides my father."

"Then, how did you find out?"

"Well-" Floriane started to say, but she stopped because she didn't want the truth to be known.

"What are you doing in here?"


	16. Busted!

Eleanor made her way upstairs, thinking that Roden was in his room of crystals. She was about to knock on the door, but she then heard a voice. It sounded like Roden's voice and he seemed really angry. Before she could open the door, she heard a loud crash.

* * *

"Well-" Floriane started to say to the flower, but she stopped because she didn't want the truth to be known.

"What are you doing in here?"

Floriane quickly turned around and looked around. She saw a pair of glowing white eyes. She felt her voice drop out of her throat down to the pit of her stomach. It was Roden!

"What in the hell are you doing in here?" He shouted as his footsteps shook the floor.

Floriane wasn't sure on what to do. She knew that she was caught, but she wasn't sure on how she was going to defend herself. Suddenly, a big gust pushed her backwards. She didn't land on the floor, for she felt something hard stop her fall, thinking that it was one of the crystals. She heard a loud roar from Roden, causing her to get up and try to run. Before she knew it, something grabbed her and there was a loud crash.

"No, Roden!" She heard the flower's voice, but it was too late.

Before Floriane could guess what happened, she felt herself falling. It was enough for her to know that she was pushed through a window. Whatever pushed her was still holding her as they fell. She believed that she wouldn't survive the fall. She closed her eyes, expecting to die.

She felt the hit of the ground, but to her surprise, it felt soft and moist. She didn't feel any pain, nor did she feel like she was hurt, but feeling Roden's reaction of catching her, it was enough for her to believe that it wasn't safe anymore. She opened her eyes and felt the pouring rain on her face. She also finally saw Roden's face.

It was as if a horrid alpha wolf was staring at her. There were also huge twisted horns out of his head and on the sides of his thick neck. The glowing of his eyes died down, finally showing the true color. They were in the color of fuchsia, but Floriane didn't see anger, she saw pain.

A flash of lightning lit up the night. Floriane saw him open his mouth, showing his pointed teeth. Believing that he was going to more harm, she grabbed a fistful of mud. She flung it straight at his face. He roared as he released Floriane. She took the chance and ran from him.

* * *

Roden deeply growled as he tried to get the mud out of his eyes.

"Roden Lindan Crimson!" He immediately opened his eyes when he heard his full name. He quickly looked around until he saw the blue and orange flower. "You really got yourself in trouble now!"

"She-"

"Don't you dare interrupt me without knowing all the facts!" The flower boomed, causing Roden to cower. "I brought her to the crystal room because she had so much sadness and pain in her heart."

"How dare you-"

"Be quiet! She's not what you think! She's not the woman who picked your father's flowers!"

Roden raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was right along about something different about her. "Who is she?"

"You want answers, go ask her! You got yourself into this mess and you're the one who can get out of it."

"Don't pronounce it like that!" He roared at the flower. "It will give me nothing but nightmares!"

"Very well, but you still need to go after her in order to know the truth."

Roden groaned and growled as his eyes rolled. He then watched the flower float back up to the room of crystals. He knew that the flower was right about one thing: if he wanted to know the truth, he had to find the woman. He walked in the direction the woman took off.

After walking around in the pouring rain for a few minutes, he decided to walk towards the front of his house. He then saw a light emitting near the door to the stables. When he got close, he saw Eleanor on the ground, unconscious.

"Eleanor!" He said as he gently shook her. It took a moment, but she finally opened her eyes. He watched her hold her head and groan.

"My head."

"What happened?" He asked her and Eleanor's eyes grew wide.

"Saffi!" She said, "That woman who said she was Saffi!"

"What about her? I'm looking for her."

"I heard a crash from your crystal room. I opened the door and saw your shattered window, so I ran down and came out here. When I reached the stables, someone ran into me. It looked like Saffi, but..."

"But what?"

"Her hair wasn't black. The rain was washing away the color and, when I raised my lantern, her hair shone like gold. That's not Saffi. I don't know who she is, but she was disguising herself as Saffi. I was there when your father punished Saffi."

"So where is she?"

"I don't know. When she saw that her hair was no longer black, she pushed me away. I think she took my lantern because I don't have it anymore."

Just then, they heard the squishing of mud. They looked over and saw Sawyer. "What happened? I heard a crash."

"I don't want to talk about it." Roden answered, "Why are you out here in the rain?"

"Well-" Sawyer began she say, but when she saw Eleanor, her face turn to confusion. "Eleanor?"

"Yes?" Eleanor said as she got up.

"What are you doing here?"

"Sawyer, what are you talking about?" Roden asked.

"I saw Eleanor grab her lantern and run outside. About a few minutes, I look out and saw the light of her lantern go towards the gate."

Roden started to piece the situation together. If the woman pretending to be Saffi took Eleanor's lantern and Sawyer saw the lantern's light head towards the gate, that meant that the woman left the place.

"Ah, damn it!" He said as he left the women. He knew that it was dark and pouring rain, but if the woman left his home, then he had to bring her back.

He may have been mad at her for being in his crystal room, but there are things out in the dark far worse than the normal animals of the forest. He had to get her back, safe or injured.


	17. Captured!

Floriane ran as fast as she could from Roden. She took Eleanor's lantern so she could see in the dark, but the pouring rain was making it difficult. For once, she didn't care. She just wanted to get away from that monster.

She tripped and then fell forward, landing in a mud puddle. Floriane quickly spat out any mud that got in her mouth. The mud was really thick and difficult to get out of. She battled with the mud while keeping the lantern from going out.

Suddenly, there was a big loud thump. It was if it was a footstep was passing by. She then felt this amazing pain to the back of her head. She was hit so hard that she lost consciousness and fell back into the mud.

* * *

Floriane groaned a little as her mind was coming together. Her eyes slowly opened, only to see a big snout sniffing her. She tried to move, but she was tied up, gagged and hung upside-down. She tried to move around to get the snout away from her, but it wasn't working as well as she hoped. When the snout finally moved away, it wasn't what Floriane was thinking. She thought it was Roden sniffing her, but it wasn't. The snout wasn't dog-like, it was a cat.

There was this big wild cat, but not any ordinary cat. It was yellow with pink stripes on its body. It also had these menacing ruby eyes and they were full of anger.

"It's most definitely a human." It spoke and then two more cats showed up. Both cats had yellow fur, but one had blue stripes and the other one had silver stripes. Floriane really didn't like these odds nor what might happen to her.

"What's a human doing here at night in the rain?" The blue striped cat asked out loud.

"Don't ask me," The pink striped cat answered. "I found her running past the trees and got stuck in the mud. I wasn't going to let her sink."

The cat with silver stripes walked up to Floriane, who was still tied up and gagged. It quickly looked her over and looked back at the other cats.

"I think this human is a girl." The cats looked at the silver striped cat.

"A girl?" The blue striped cat asked and then an odd smile appeared on the face of the pink striped cat.

"Then let's bring her with us."

"What are you talking about?" The silver striped cat asked as the pink striped cat cut the rope that hung Floriane upside-down.

"I know exactly what to do with her." The pink striped cat answered before she sunk her teeth into Floriane. The cat bit her on her back and Floriane wanted to scream, but couldn't because of the gag.

The cat ran and jumped through the woods, still holding onto Floriane's back. Floriane tried to move about, but every time she did, the cat sunk its teeth deeper into her skin.

* * *

Roden ran through the forest, not caring about being cold and wet. He didn't want Saffi or whatever her name was to get hurt. There was one animal that he was concerned about because those animals are as strong as him.

He kept sniffing around, trying to keep hold of the scent, but the rain was making it difficult. He realized that she managed to run much farther from his home than anyone else, except Eleanor. He just hoped that she was still alive when he found her. In the distance, he saw a little light. He ran over to the light, believing that he had found her.

As he got closer, he got stuck in a thick mud puddle. Roden saw the source of the little light on the other side of the puddle. It was Eleanor's lantern, but there was no sign of the woman. He groaned in disappointment as he got out of the puddle. When he picked up the lantern, it's light gave him another clue.

There was a big tree in front of him and, at the base of the tree, was a small blood puddle. Roden smelled the blood and caught the scent again, but he also smelled something else.

"Rackanas." He whispered as he fur stood up.

* * *

After what seemed like a long time, the cat stopped in front of a cave. It went in and there was some dim light throughout the cave. Floriane looked up and saw oil lamps hanging from the cave ceiling. She also saw other cats in the cave. They were all in one main fur color with colorful stripes. The cat walked past the other cats, who were staring at what was now in the cave.

The pink striped cat continued to walk until they reached the end of the cave. There was a fur pelt on the ground with a bigger cat lying on it. The bigger cat got up, showing his purple fur and golden stripes.

"My dear brother, look at what I brought you!" The pink striped cat said after dropping Floriane. The purple cat walked up to Floriane and just sniffed her.

"You bring a human here?" He asked with annoyance.

"A female human." She said with a funny tone. "You've been wanting one around for you."

Floriane became afraid of what this all meant. It was bad enough dealing with Roden and his servants. She did not want to deal with these cats, especially after being bitten in the back.

The bigger cat looked back at Floriane and placed his paw on her back. She was placed on her stomach with her back facing them. Floriane was fearing that she was going to get eaten or something along the lines. Suddenly, she felt the rope on her wrists being loose. It gave her the idea that her hands were free. She quickly flipped around, swung her hand and scratched the bigger cat. He roared in pain and jumped backward, crashing into his sister.

Floriane took the rope and started to run out of the cave. The other cats tried to stop her or got in her way, but she used the rope like a whip. It wouldn't do much, but it was enough to catch them off guard. Many of the cats end up colliding with each other rather than getting harmed by the rope. Floriane was fast enough for them to do that, but she did get scratched by their claws.

There was one cat standing between her and the entrance of the cave. Floriane held the rope in her left hand and whipped it in the air. The cat roared and jumped. Floriane took her chance and went underneath the cat. She never looked back as she ran out of the cave.

She then felt something on her back and fell forward. She heard a deep growl as she was flipped onto her back.

It was the bigger cat with purple fur and golden stripes. His eyes were furrowed as if he was angry, but he was also smiling.

"I like a clever lady," He said. "My sister is right. You're perfect for me." Floriane became very afraid by what he meant. She tried to remove his paw from her chest, but he was too strong. "Since I have no privacy in the cave, I'm going to take you to someplace quieter."

"No!" Floriane screamed, "Release me!"

The cat removed his paw, but when Floriane turned around to run, he latched onto her back. He then walked in a different direction, with Floriane fighting him.

* * *

 **Readers, I'm so sorry for being so slow on this story. I've been very busy with other things.  
**


	18. Fight!

_'I can't let this cat have me!'_

Floriane was using all of her strength possible to get the cat to let go, but his jaw muscles were too strong. The cat continued to take her deeper into the dark forest. She continued to feel the strength of the cat's jaw as the rain poured down on them. She had to think of another way. She felt her hands against the moist earth. She grabbed a handful of mud and threw it at the cat's eyes.

The cat roared, dropping Floriane in the process. He shook his head to get the mud out of its eyes. Floriane tried to run, but the pain from the cat's bite was making her go much slower. She stopped to rest, but she knew that she couldn't stop

"I like a female who plays hard to get." She heard the cat speak. Floriane felt her pupils shrink as she turned around. She couldn't see the cat because of the dark, but she could see its glowing red eyes and glowing stripes. They were furrowed as if the cat was mad, but Floriane saw something else. A power-hungry look. Her spirit was giving everything to prevent her from giving up.

"What is it about human women that you like so much?" Floriane stood up.

"You're a much better prey than the females of my kind. You are really pretty. It's just my luck that my sister caught you."

"Don't you dare come any closer!" She heard the cat make a deep laugh and then saw his pupils thin. She quickly went behind the tree and heard a crash. She also felt a sharp pain in her arm. There was a cut on her arm, making Floriane believe that the cat caught her.

Suddenly, she lurched forward with the weight bearing down on her back. She was flipped over, with her arms held against the wet earth. The cat's eyes stared right into hers. She knew that there was nothing she could do.

"Before I have my fun, is there anything you have to say?"

"Yes." A different male voice said, giving the cat a confused look. "Let go of her!"

Somehow, a burning light appeared behind the cat. The cat's face went from confusion to pain. He then roared in pain and jumped off Floriane. She heard the sound of fabric ripping as the cat got off her. She then heard a growl, sending shivers down her spine. She sat up in a fright and saw the tree that she was next to was on fire. She removed herself away from the burning tree before the flames reached her. Floriane continued to hear a series of growls and roars. She looked in the direction of the sounds and was quite surprised.

She saw the cat fighting with Roden. She recognized his fearsome face, but couldn't see the rest of his body because of the fight. Floriane decided to get away before she was dragged into the fight. She held her arm tightly, to stop the pain from getting worse. She still couldn't go far because of the pain in her back. She was hoping that the battle will kill both of them, leaving her with nothing to fear.

* * *

"How dare you get in the way of my human prey!" The cat roared as Roden fought with him. Roden wasn't going to let this creature take a woman's life for the fun of it. They fought as mud got sloshed all over the place. Roden felt a deep bite on his leg.

Roden felt a deep bite on his leg. He grabbed the cat by the tail and threw it away. He then took a deep breath and breathed out a flame. He missed the cat and caught another tree. Even though he missed the cat, he appreciated lighting the tree so he could see. The cat jumped towards him and ducked out of the way. To his surprise, the cat didn't counter-attack, it ran off instead. He quickly looked around and saw that the girl was gone.

Roden shouted in fear and anger and chased the cat. He heard a scream, making him run faster. Every exhale he made, a little flame came out, giving him some light. He was feeling some guilt that this had happened, but this was his only chance to fix this mess. When he found the cat again, he immediately felt disgusted.

He saw the cat pinning the girl down and licking her face with a smile. Roden roared again and rammed the cat away. The cat roared and swung his paw. Roden felt the sharp pain in his face, knowing that he got cut.

"You get out of my way with my prey!"

Roden struggled to see because it was dark, he was tired and his face hurt. Despite everything, he still was ready to fight. He swung his head around and breathed out his fire, seeing the cat getting in the way and another tree up in flames. He saw the cat getting its fur burned, but it made the cat more upset. Roden's vision was getting blurry, but he stood his ground. The cat leaped at him, but Roden felt something push him out of the way. He fell into the mud and heard a soft grunt. He got up and couldn't believe what he was able to see.

He saw the cat, hanging motionless on a branch. He carefully went up to the cat and it still didn't move. He looked on the other side and saw the reason. The tree branch had pierced the cat's chest. Blood was running down from the chest down to the ground. Roden breathed in some relief, believing that the cat was dead. His mind then quickly turned his attention to the girl. His eyesight was still blurry, but he managed to see her next to a different tree. He looked over at the burning tree put out by the rain.

Roden gently pulled out Eleanor's lantern, which he took out of the mud. He breathed out a small flame to light it. He then walked over to the girl and saw her injuries. Her eyes opened up, full of anger and pain.

"Leave me." She said, but Roden shook his head.

"I won't let you die out here. I risked my life to save you." He gently picked her up and put her on his back. He then shifted his wings over her, preventing her from getting wetter and getting off him. He then placed Eleanor's lantern on his twisted horns and started walking back to his home.

* * *

"Do you think they'll be okay, mama?" Lacey asked her mother.

"I really don't know," Kamila answered.

They were sitting with all the servants in the front hall. Everyone was concerned about what had happened and if Roden and their mystery guest were okay. Kamila was sitting on the stairs with her daughter and Hadley. Sawyer was gently hugging Tarrant. Eleanor and Nelon were pacing around the front hall. The howling wind was pelting the rain against the windows.

"Mother, what's going to happen?" Tarrant asked Sawyer.

"It will be okay, son."

"I'm afraid that if Roden doesn't come back, then Waldemar will do something horrible."

"I'll take responsibility." Everyone looked at Eleanor, "It's my fault. I pushed her too far. It's my job to make sure Roden is safe. The only reason he ran after her was that he caught her in his crystal room."

"You've always been suspicious." Hadley spoke up, "You, Tarrant and his parents are the only ones who know the real story to Roden's family."

"We don't want to talk about it." Nelon said, "Because it was our fault that we didn't stop what happened."

Eleanor cleared her throat and gave Nelon a hard stare. He quickly closed his mouth and pointed his attention in a different direction.

"One day, we'll tell you." Eleanor spoke up, "We know that when the matter is over, we're going to have to tell you the truth. Right now, it's not a good time."

"It's not a good time for anything." Kamila said, "But Tarrant has a point: what will happen when Waldemar comes and Roden isn't back yet?"

"I don't know, but I will make sure that he won't blame any of you. If he wants someone to blame, he can blame me."

Suddenly, there was a loud sound outside the front doors. It made everyone jump to their feet. Eleanor and Nelon looked at each other and cautiously approach the doors. They were prepared to attack anything that was considered dangerous. Nelon was holding a shovel and Eleanor had one of the kitchen knives. Nelon raised the shovel as Eleanor grabbed the door knob. She twisted the knob and the doors flew open. Something fell on the floor, but instead of attacking it, they put their weapons away.

It was Roden! He fell to the floor and the mystery girl was on his back.

"Roden!" Eleanor said, walking up to him. "What happened?" She noticed the cut on his face.

"The floor is being covered in blood," Nelon said, looking behind him from closing the doors.

"What's happened?" They heard the others speak up.

"I don't know." Eleanor said, "Right now, we have injuries to attend to. Nelon, I want you, Hadley and Tarrant take care of Roden. Kamila, Sawyer and I will take care of-our mystery guest." Everyone nodded their heads.

"Lacey," Kamila said, getting down to her daughter's level. "I want you to stay in your room and get some rest."

"Don't you want my help?"

"I don't want you to see something that might scare you. So, go to your room and try and get some rest. I'll check on you when I'm done. I promise."

"Okay, mama," Lacey said and she went towards her room.

The men and women carried Roden and the girl towards their infirmary wing. Something had attacked them and they didn't know what. All they know was that Roden and the guest were injured and bleeding. The servants only hope that things will be better before Waldemar comes by tomorrow afternoon.

* * *

 **I guess it's obvious that I'm not good at writing battle scenes.  
**


	19. Recovery

Throughout the night, the servants spent their time healing Roden and the girl disguising as Saffi. The men took care of Roden while the women took care of their mysterious guest.

Roden was so cut up that it was surprising that his body didn't fall apart. There was a terrible cut on his forehead. It was bleeding to the point that it was blinding Roden. His forehead and eyes were wrapped up to make the wound stop bleeding. Roden couldn't see through his bandage. So, he had to remain blind until his wounds heal.

He explained what had happened to him and the girl. How he caught the Rackana Cat with Floriane, he attacked the cat and Floriane running away. He couldn't believe how the cat died. The reason the cat was dead was that someone pushed him out of the way. Roden believed that it was the girl, the girl he scared away, pushed him out of the way. Until he was told differently, he wasn't going to let any harm go towards her.

* * *

All the women were stunned that Floriane was still alive. There was so much blood in the front hall that they believed she was dead. Floriane was still breathing by the time she was cleaned up, but she was also unconscious. There were lacerations on her arms. They were deep enough to cause concern that the bone was hit. The worse wounds Floriane had were on her back. They were also deep, but they were filthy too. Every cut and puncture were cleaned out and wrapped up.

Both, Floriane and Roden, stayed in the infirmary area for the whole night. Nelon and Tarrant stayed near Roden if he needed anything. Roden ordered Eleanor to stay with their guest. He also asked Sawyer to let him know when his father, Waldemar, shows up.

Roden knew that his father will go after Floriane, whether Saffi sent her or not. The only way to prevent Waldemar from doing any harm is for Roden get in his way. He knew why his father was like this and there was nothing Roden could do to change it.

* * *

The pain crept through Floriane's body. She groaned and opened her eyes. A bright light blinded her for a moment. Her eyes adjusted to the light, which was coming from a candle. Floriane looked around and saw a huge room. She also saw that she was in a big white bed.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake," she heard. Floriane turned to her right and saw Eleanor.

Eleanor was sitting in a wooden chair with a tired look on her face. Floriane furrowed her eyebrows and looked away.

"Are you in any pain?" Eleanor asked, but Floriane didn't answer. Floriane's disguise had washed away; everyone knows that she's not her mother, Saffi. "You shouldn't hold your pain inside if you are."

Floriane still didn't say anything. She wasn't going to give up her secret that easily. The pain in her body was unbearable, but the thought of harm to her mother was a knife to her heart. She was scared that if she told the truth, her mother will be killed.

"Well, I can't force you to tell me anything if you don't want to," She heard Eleanor speak. "Not that I don't blame you for not talking to me at all. Roden has ordered me to do anything for you. So, you won't be getting rid of me for a while."

Floriane just groaned, in anger and pain. Suddenly, a bell rang out. Floriane thought it might have been a big bell because the ring had a low tone. She also heard the sound of a chair moving across the floor. She looked back at Eleanor, who was standing and looking up at the ceiling. When the bell stopped ringing, Eleanor looked back at Floriane.

"No matter what happens or what you hear," Eleanor said. "Don't leave this room. Stay in bed and rest." She then walked over to the door.

* * *

Eleanor knew what Waldemar was expecting: Saffi to be here to suffer the consequences for picking his wife's flowers. No one knew how to explain this to him. When Eleanor reached the front doors, Sawyer was there getting ready to open the door. The look of fear was on Sawyer's face. Eleanor walked up to her and put a hand on Sawyer's shoulder.

"I'll take care of him," Eleanor whispered. "Let's get him inside before he breaks the doors." Sawyer agreed and they opened the door.

There stood Waldemar, Roden's father and the monster that threatened Saffi. His serpent face was connected to a long furry neck. His body was very muscular with long scaly arms. His hands were human-sized but lizard-shaped. Huge fins ran down his back to his huge fish tail. His back legs had webbed feet like a Frog. Despite the monstrous body, Waldemar wore gold rings on his fingers and pearl bracelets on his ankles.

He walked inside, on all fours, and stared at Eleanor and Sawyer with his fiery eyes.

"Hello Waldemar," the women bowed to him.

He hissed and flicked his forked tongue. "Eleanor, Sawyer, where's my boy?"

Sawyer gulped, "In the infirmary wing, sir."

Waldemar hissed and growled, "What happened to my son?"

Sawyer walked backward as Waldemar advanced, "Please, sir, don't do this. You always find someone to blame when he gets hurt." Waldemar continued to hiss and growl. Eleanor finally got between her and Sawyer. Waldemar stopped hissing and brought his tongue back in his mouth.

"Waldemar, if you want an explanation, you'll have to talk to Roden. He wants to talk to you about it."

"Why?"

"Because this is a situation that no one was expecting."

Waldemar growled; Eleanor knew that he hated it when someone didn't give him an answer.

"Take me-to-my-son!" He said with a serious tone.

Eleanor nodded and she and Sawyer led him to the infirmary wing. Waldemar hissed and shook his head. _'The scent of blood is bothering his senses. We need to make this fast.'_ When they reached the room Roden was in, Eleanor reached down for her keys. She couldn't feel them on her waist. She realized that she left them in Floriane's room.

"I've got keys," Sawyer said. She looked at Waldemar, "He's in here, sir." The door opened and Waldemar saw his son. All bandaged up and blinded.

Roden sniffed the air, "Father."

Waldemar ran inside and carefully hugged his son. Eleanor briefly smiled at the sight, but she knew it won't last long.

Eleanor looked at Sawyer, "I'm going to check on our guest." She whispered, "Let's hope this won't be a nightmare."

* * *

Eleanor walked back to Floriane's room. _'I wish our guest would give us some answers. Did Saffi send her? Or did she come herself? She has to give up some kind of answer. She helped Roden with the cat attack. There must be something we can do.'_

Eleanor took in a breath and opened Floriane's room. The room was silent and the bed was empty. Floriane was gone!


	20. Concerned

"Father."

Roden didn't have to see to know where his father was. Waldemar's fur gave off the powerful scent of irises. He felt his father's strength as he hugged him. Roden felt safe with his father, but he was concerned about his father's temper.

"My son," Waldemar spoke. "What happened? You're bandaged all over your body. Even your eyes are covered up!"

"I can't tell you, father," Roden said.

"First, Sawyer won't tell me anything and now you!"

"You didn't let me finish!" Roden almost snapped. "You have to swear that you won't lose your temper."

"Hmm, don't I always promise that?"

"I didn't say 'promise'," Roden rapped his fingers on the floor. "I said 'swear'. Either you swear, or you're not going to get anything out of me or the others."

He heard his father hiss, "Very well. I swear not to."

* * *

 _Roden's not going to be happy with me._ Eleanor was in a state of worry. Floriane was gone! _I tell her not to leave the room, but she goes and does it anyway._ _I need to find her before Waldemar. I can only guess what he would do to her._

A knock on the door made Eleanor jump. We went up to it, hoping high on heaven that it wasn't Roden's father. Much to her relief, it was Kamila.

"You look like you saw a spirit!" Kamila remarked.

"No, but I think I will be one!" Eleanor exclaimed, "Get in here." She yanked Kamila inside and slammed the door.

"What's wrong?"

"Our guest is gone!"

Kamila looked back at the bed, "Where is she?"

"I don't know! I need to find her or Roden is going to have my neck!"

Eleanor normally doesn't get flustered, but when she's responsible for someone else, she takes the job seriously.

"Eleanor, look!" Kamila pointed at the floor.

There were spots of blood on the floor. They were bigger than drops but smaller than puddles. They were on the floor next to the bed. Eleanor's eyes followed the blood out the door. She opened the door. The blood was leading down the left hallway.

"Let's go find her," Kamila walked out the door. Eleanor closed the door and followed.

* * *

"You're telling me that we were tricked?"

Waldemar was furious. He didn't care that he swore not to get mad.

Roden acted like he was listening to his father's ranting and hissing. _He swears not to get upset and he ends up breaking his word. Why am I not surprised?_

"Where is this woman?" Waldemar shouted, "I'm going to give this woman and Saffi a piece of my mind!"

"With that temper, I'm not telling you."

Waldemar hissed, "Roden!"

"Hiss as much as you like, you're not going to get an answer from me."

"Roden, she took someone else's place and ran away from you! Why are you trying to defend her?"

Roden was thankful for the bandage over his eyes. He didn't want his father to see him roll his eyes in frustration. "It's for a reason of my own!"

"Why won't you tell me? You always trusted me with a secret."

"Your reaction was enough of an answer. You swore not to get mad, but you did anyway. You know what happens when you break a promise to me. So, you can either spend time with me, go down and make soup, or leave!"

Roden heard his father whimper. He knew that his father only whimpers when his heart was broken. His father's foot steps became softer. He then felt his father's neck on top of his own.

"I'm not leaving my boy," Waldemar answered sincerely.

"I guess that's enough of an apology."

* * *

Eleanor and Kamila followed the trail of blood. It led up multiple stairways, in one of the towers. They were wondering why their guest went this way. They soon came to the last floor.

"She must be somewhere on this floor," Kamila said. "There's nowhere else she could go."

Eleanor shook her head, "Maybe." _There is one other place this floor goes to, but I doubt she would go there._ She brought herself back out of her thoughts when she noticed Kamila was ahead of her. When she caught up, Kamila was kneeling.

Kamila was holding bloody torn bandages. "I found this at the bottom of this door."

Eleanor stared at the black door. "Oh dear." _This isn't good, especially without those bandages. She could bleed out or her wounds could be infected. Why did she take them off?_

"She must be in this room!" Kamila smiled.

"It's not a room," Eleanor spoke with a worried voice.

"What is it? What's behind that door?"

Eleanor shook her head, "Kamila, go back downstairs and guard our guest's room."

"Eleanor!" Kamila pushed. Eleanor angrily stared at her. "I don't care about that look! You are going to tell me what's back there!"

"Either you go, or Waldemar is going to have both our necks! So will Roden!" Elanor saw Kamila's pupils shrink.

"And if someone asks about her?"

"Tell them: she wishes not to be disturbed, by the orders of Eleanor."

Kamila nodded and took off.

Eleanor shook her head and opened the black door. There was another stairway and the blood trail leads up it. She knew that this stairway led to the dungeon. It was almost never used. It only held one prisoner the whole time it's been existence. When Eleanor got to the top, she found her worst worries.


	21. The Truth

Inside a wall to ceiling cage, Floriane was leaning against a wall. Her side was on the wall, looking out of a small thin window. Blood had drenched her the back of the nightgown.

"Thank goodness I found you!" Eleanor spoke up. Floriane never acknowledged her. "I told you not to leave the room!"

Floriane groaned and blinked her eyes. "Bother someone else, Eleanor. Let me die in peace."

Eleanor became surprised, "You have a chance of staying alive." She grabbed the cage door, but it wouldn't budge. She then groaned, "You've locked yourself in there. Now I need to find my keys."

"Don't bother." Floriane pulled her hands out of hiding, revealing Eleanor's keys. "Now leave me alone."

"How did you-?"

"I pay attention to certain details like you have the only key to the dungeon. I stole them when you left the room. You now know the truth that I'm not who I said I was. So let me die in peace."

Eleanor sighed and knelt front of the cage. "At least tell me why?"

Floriane blinked again and finally looked at Eleanor. "I wasn't going to let my mother die because of me. I refuse to comply with the other part of the deal. If this monster's father wants a life for his precious flowers, he can have mine."

Eleanor raised an eyebrow, "What other part?"

Floriane sighed and turned her head back to the window. "Look inside the cloak I was wearing when I first came here. In one of the inside pockets, you will find the contract in the monster's father's writing and my mother's signature. You'll find the proof there."

Eleanor stood back up. _She really is trying to die. I better find Waldemar's contract and do it before she dies._ She ran out of the dungeon and went towards the servants quarters.

* * *

The room was still the same way Floriane last left it. Eleanor could feel sadness in the room. It seemed to be worse than the normal sadness that fills the home. _There must be something else she's not telling me. Right now, I need to find the contract.  
_

She looked around the room. The cloak was hanging on a peg in the corner. Eleanor opened the cloak; the purse dropped to the floor. It opened on contact and the scroll rolled out.

 _This must be it._ Eleanor grabbed the scroll and read it. She read the whole thing as fast and thoroughly as she could. When she got to the end, she got very mad. _Waldemar, this was very dumb on your part!_ She rolled the scroll back up and marched towards Roden's room.

* * *

When Eleanor reached the room Roden was in, she saw him and Waldemar. Roden was lapping up soup out of a large bowl. Waldemar was just watching his son. She took a few deep breaths. She was mad from Waldemar's contract, but she was worried about Roden's reaction.

"I know you're there, Eleanor," Roden spoke up. "Come in."

Eleanor sighed and walked inside. Roden's bandage was still over his eyes.

"What is it, Eleanor?" He asked, "Is something wrong with our guest?"

Eleanor was getting nervous, but she had to answer him. "You can say that. Yes."

"Is it her wounds?"

"Kind of."

"Would you say it?" Waldemar growled.

"Don't growl at me, Waldemar! You started this mess!"

"Me?" He growled again, "What do you mean by that?"

Eleanor pulled out the scroll. "I know that Roden asks you for many things, but as far as I'm aware, he didn't ask for a bride!"

"Hmmm?" Roden hissed and growled. "Father, did she say what I believe she said?"

"Uh-maybe?"

Roden slammed his fists down on the floor. He ripped his bandage off. His eyes were trying to turn red to match his anger. He stared at his father. "I never asked for a bride!"

"I could explain," Waldemar whimpered.

"I don't want to hear it!" Roden turned to Eleanor. "Can you try to explain?"

"Well according to your father's contract, it turns out that he gave Saffi, the woman who picked your mother's flowers, a choice. Either to come and face the punishment-or have her daughter be your bride." Roden turned back to his father, baring his teeth. "The daughter disguised herself as her mother and came to take the punishment. She wasn't going to let her mother die, but she wasn't going to marry Roden."

* * *

"Please, son, let me explain." Waldemar backed away from his marching son. "I asked Saffi about her daughters and she told me one had been ill for some time. Nine years to be exact!"

Roden stopped in his tracks, realizing his father's point. He turned his head and looked out the window. "'A sickness will bring down a lady, but she will return your family to what it once was.'"

"That sorcerer said a girl would get sick the same time as-well-we all know." Waldemar said, "When I found out that part, I realized this was our only chance."

"You still shouldn't have said she had to marry Roden!" Eleanor spoke up, "She's now trying to die so you won't kill her mother."

Roden turned back at Eleanor. "Trying to die?"

Eleanor groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. "I left the room to let your father in. She stole my keys, left the room and went to the dungeon. She even removed the bandages off."

"So she's sitting in the dungeon, with your keys?" Roden clarified.

Eleanor nodded, "All she kept saying was that she wanted to die in peace. She won't let anyone try and reach her. I deeply apologize for letting it happen."

"You don't have to apologize," Roden said. He then looked at his father, "What were you going to do with Saffi? Kill her? All over a misunderstanding?" His father remained silent. "That's enough of an answer."

"I made those flowers for your mother." Waldemar was trying to not choke up. "They are all I have of her."

"At least you have the power to see her once every other month! She wouldn't want you to kill someone over the flowers!"

Waldemar just groaned and growled. Roden just shook his head. He knew that it wasn't easy for his father either.

"Just leave her family alone, father. I'll take care of this on my own. I want just one thing out of you."

"Which is?"

"I'm going to fill two trunks filled with gold. I want you to send them to her family."

"Send them to Saffi and her family?"

"Yes, father! Who else am I talking about?"

"Apologies. It's just no one is saying her name."

"None of us know it." Eleanor spoke, "She refuses to tell us."

Waldemar rolled his eyes. "Saffi said the one who was sick was called Floriane."

Roden slapped his hand against his forehead. _That_ _explains why she likes flowers._ He removed his hand and saw blood on it.

"You're bleeding again, son."

"I'll put another bandage on when I'm done with the trunks. I'm going to do it now." Roden marched out of the room.

"Roden, what about Floriane?" Eleanor asked.

"I'll take care of it!" He answered, still walking away.

* * *

Roden didn't care about the blood going down his face. He walked towards to his treasure room. He wasn't going to let Floriane or her family to suffer because of his father. _If he wasn't my father, I would've punched him. I know why he did this, but I'm still not happy about the way he did it. Then again, he can't change himself. That sorcerer took away his compassion to others. The only compassion father has is for me and mother-and Eleanor._

Roden opened the doors to his treasure room. It was filled with gold and precious gems. He yanked out two of the trunks and filled them to the brim with gold. Done with the trunks, he jumped into the pile. He dug the coins and gems to the wall until he pulled out a diamond sphere. Placing it between his horns, he carried the trunks to the front hall.

After dropping the trunks off, he grabbed his sphere and went towards his room. Roden looked into the sphere. A cloud appeared inside the gem, showing Floriane in the dungeon. It looked like she was getting ready to fall asleep.

 _All right, Floriane, I'm not going to let you die. I will, however, give you some peace and, hopefully, some happiness._ He waved his right hand over the sphere. _As you sleep, you will have a marvelous room just for you. I won't let anyone disturb you, but I won't let you leave because you need to heal. To make sure you heal, this new bandage can't be removed until the wounds are healed._

The image was swallowed by a green cloud and disappeared.

 _I hope she'll accept the gift._


	22. A Gift for the Family

Nine days came and went. A broken heart sat in Saffi's chest, like a rock. She revealed the truth to her remaining children about her deal with the monster. Floriane had taken the scroll and the black horse. Saffi believed that she was gone for good. She was never going to see Floriane again.

Tanner shook his head in sadness. All he could do was pray that his sister was alive and well. Tears flowed down Fabrice's face. It was the first time Tanner had seen his father cry.

Saffi, Fabrice, and Tanner were unhappy about the situation, but the half-siblings were pleased.

Sorrel, Brenna, and Newell were secretly happy that their sick sister was gone. They believed once Floriane was gone, their mother would pay attention to them. Another belief was that now they can store money for other things, like food, clothes and the hope of moving back to the city. No more money towards doctors for Floriane's illness. Sadly, things didn't turn out that way.

* * *

Now that Floriane was gone, Sorrel and Brenna had to do their sister's chores. There was no getting out of it. Fabrice would wake them up and lead them down to the barn to milk the cows and gather the eggs.

"I'm beginning to regret Floriane leaving," Sorrel whispered.

Brenna growled as she and her sister collected the eggs. "Why? She's out of our hair. I don't ever want to see her again."

"We're doing her chores! We used to do whatever we wanted."

"I would rather deal with chores than Floriane and her fake illness."

A loud snapping noise hit the hen-house. "You two better be collecting the eggs in there."

"We are, stepfather," Sorrel spoke up. "We're almost done!" She looked at Brenna. "Let's not talk about that without our stepfather around." She whispered.

"Fine with me." Brenna walked past her sister and left the hen-house.

Sorrel shook her head. She had noticed quite the change the family went through after Floriane left.

Their mother seemed frozen in sadness. Fabrice was more pushy about getting things done. Tanner seemed to be slower than he used to be. Newell had become more grouchy and Brenna became cold. It was if, without Floriane, happiness couldn't be achieved.

* * *

After collecting the eggs, the two sisters finished the rest of their chores. By the end of the day, the two sisters were tired, but they weren't done for the day. Tanner had come home with a couple of fat fish. Brenna had to cook one of the fish while Sorrel salted the rest for later.

Brenna disliked being in the kitchen. In her opinion, it was hot and noisy.

"I don't understand why Sorrel can't be in here!" Brenna whined to Newell, who was sitting at the table.

"She's not a better cook than you are," He answered. "Floriane said it was the best place in the house."

Brenna's anger rose. She grabbed a plate and threw it at her brother. Newell ducked and the plate hit the wall. The shattered pieces scattered throughout the floor.

"Don't say her name around me!" Brenna threatened. "I don't want any reminder of her!"

Footsteps came down the stairs rather quickly. "What's going on in my kitchen?" Saffi's voice rang out.

Brenna removed her angry face with one of worry. She ran to the table with a broom and a dustpan. She started sweeping up the broken plate pieces as her mother walked into the kitchen.

"What happened?" Saffi asked.

"I-uh-dropped a plate," Brenna said with a little fear.

Saffi sighed and shook her head. "Newell, help your sister." She then walked over to the stove. "I'll finish cooking."

Newell nodded his head and held the dustpan.

As Brenna swept the floor, she looked at the back of her mother. It was obvious in her voice how unhappy she still was. _There must be something I can do to cheer her up._ Brenna thought.

Her brother stood up with the dustpan still in his hand. "I'll take care of this." He then left the room.

Brenna looked at her mother. "Is there anything I can do, mama?"

"Set the table," Saffi answered. "This is about done."

"Very well."

* * *

By the time Brenna set the table, Saffi brought the food to the table. Dinner was composed of a fresh fish, rolls of bread with vegetable soup. Everyone in the family sat down at the table. Tanner said grace.

"Dear Lord, bless this meal we're about to enjoy. Bless our family," he briefly paused, "and-bless Floriane, wherever she might be. In your name, amen."

"Amen," everyone said.

Dinner was quiet as it normally was, but no one was used to Floriane's seat empty. Tanner missed his sister. It was if the family wasn't complete without her. He knew that his half-siblings didn't miss her, especially Brenna. The smirk on her face was as plain as day.

"You did a well enough job, Brenna," Fabrice cleaned his hands.

"Thank you, stepfather,' Brenna smiled.

Tanner rolled his eyes. "You know darn well that you didn't do everything."

Brenna slammed her hands on the table and stood up. "I'm not your precious Floriane! I never will be!"

"Brenna!" Saffi stood up. "Be nice your brother!"

"He's my half-brother!"

"Half or full-blooded, he's your brother and you need to treat him the same way you treat Newell."

The rest of the family didn't speak up. It wasn't worth getting into a heated argument with Saffi and Brenna. Tanner got a little mad with his half sister's comment, but his mother beat him to putting Brenna in her place.

"I'll never look at Tanner as a brother!" Brenna said. "I don't know why you had him and his sister in the first place!"

"Brenna!" Saffi spoke again.

"No, you listen to me! You had me, Sorrel and Newell! We would've done anything for you. You didn't need to make another family! You already had one and you replaced it with them!" Brenna pointed at Tanner and Fabrice. "I wish you never met him." Brenna marched away from the table and out of the room.

* * *

Saffi just stood and never moved. No one at the table was willing to speak up. Sorrel, Newell, and Tanner looked at each other. Their faces were blank as if they were trying to hide their feelings towards Brenna's words.

"My children," Saffi finally spoke. "Finish your dinner and then go to bed. We'll take care of the kitchen in the morning."

"Yes, mother." They softly said.

Suddenly, the house shook! Thunder rang out as every part of the rooms rattled. Everyone fell to the ground. By the time they got back to their feet, the noise ceased and the thunder disappeared.

"What was that?" Tanner spoke up.

"Good question." Fabrice got back on his feet, "Tanner, come with me. Newell, stay here and protect the girls."

"Let me come!" Newell pushed.

"I said stay here!" Fabrice raised his voice.

Tanner grabbed a lantern and followed his father to the front door. His father held a knife, in case it was a robber. Fabrice slowly twisted the knob. He held a finger to his mouth, telling Tanner to stay quiet. Tanner nodded. Fabrice flung the door open.

Tanner watched his father's face. It was one of confusion and concern. "Son, bring out the lantern."

Tanner came out from behind. The lantern's light brightened up the porch, showing two black trunks with silver straps. "What are those doing here?"

"I'm not sure, son." Fabrice grabbed one of the trunks. "Tanner, help me." Tanner sat the lantern down and grabbed the second trunk.

Fabrice lifted one trunk and carried it with ease. Tanner had to drag the other trunk into the house. He wasn't as strong as his father.

After getting them inside, Saffi and the rest of the family came. Saffi's pupils grew as if she saw a rat.

"They were right outside the door, mama."

"What do you think are in them?" Sorrel asked.

"One way to find out." Fabrice removed the straps and opened one of the trunks.

"Gold!" Brenna squealed. Gold coins shimmered in the light and gems sparkled. "We're saved from this life!" Brenna grabbed her brother's hands and danced around the place.

"Brenna, stop it!" Newell shouted, but she was too excited to stop.

Tanner removed the straps on the second trunk. It too was filled to the brim with gold and silver.

"Who would give us this?" Sorrel spoke up.

"Does it matter?" Brenna danced with her sister. "We're rich again! We can leave this place!"

Tanner rolled his eyes. He just happened to glance over the trunk his father opened. Inside the lid, there was something white.

"Father, what's that?" Tanner pointed.

Fabrice looked in the lid and grabbed at the white part.

"It's a letter." He answered. He pulled the envelope out of the hidden pocket and opened it. He looked at the paper, but he handed it to his wife. "It's for you, dear."

Tanner saw his mother raise an eyebrow. She took the letter hesitantly and started reading. Her eyes went side to side. Tanner couldn't see anything else for the paper was close to his mother's face. It was like Brenna's excitement couldn't distract her.

At last, she brought the paper down. She didn't blink, but tears slid down her face. "We can't accept this." She whispered.

Brenna stopped dancing when she heard her mother. "Why not? Someone left this on our front door! We were meant to have this gift!"

Saffi crumpled the paper in her hand. "It came from the son of that monster! The one that threatened my life to have your sister!"

"But mother!"

"We're not touching this gold!" Saffi demanded.

Brenna and Saffi stared each other's face. Each other's breath making the other neck sweat.

Tanner looked back at the trunks. The gold, silver, and gems continued to shine from the lantern's light. He understood his mother's decision, but deep down, he was also a little excited to have money again. _I know it's wrong, but I wish mother will let us use it. I mean, we can stop scrapping by to survive._ _Is it wrong for me to think this?_ Tanner reached out and looked at one of the coins. _Five of these could give us a meal for the whole day._ He placed it back and got ready to close the lid.

Another white spot caught his eye. It was inside the lid he was holding. He grabbed it and saw it was another letter. He saw his mother and Brenna still looking at each other. So he decided to read this one.

'My dear family, I know you're worried sick about me, especially mother. I'm okay for now. The son of the monster that threatened mama told me that he was sending you a gift to apologize. It turns out that he didn't want a bride. He really wanted a friend. Since I'm here, the deal was completed. I'm still angry with his father, but I might as well give the son a chance. Please accept whatever gift he gives you. Do it for me, please. I'll be writing again soon. Love, Floriane.'

Tanner couldn't believe it! His sister was alive!

"Mother!" He squealed. His mother turned her head and looked. Tanner quickly covered his mouth in worry.

"What is it?" She groaned.

Tanner removed his hand and tried to calm down. "Maybe-we can use some of the gold after all."

"What did I-?"

"I know, but look!" He showed the Floriane's letter. "This one was in the second trunk! It's from Floriane!"

Saffi's face dropped, so did Fabrice's. "Are you sure, son?" He asked.

"Yes, it's her handwriting! Read it!"

His mother took the letter out of his hand. It gave him a paper cut. He sucked on his finger as he watched his parents read the letter. Tanner felt some relief knowing that his sister wasn't harmed, but he still wanted her back with the family. He saw smiles appear on his parents' faces.

"Thank goodness, she's not married!" Fabrice sat down in relief.

"At least she's alive." Saffi whispered, "I suppose we can use some of the gold because she's asking us."

Brenna squealed again and ran her fingers through the treasure.

Tanner rolled his eyes again, not surprised by his half-sister's reaction.


	23. A New Room

Floriane's heart went down to a turtle's pace. Without the bandage, she was losing blood, but she didn't care.

 _I can finally rest in peace knowing that my mother didn't have to die._

Floriane was surrounded in blackness. Before she was staring out of the thin window. Her eyelids finally closed without any hesitation. She didn't know how long she was in the dark, but she was expecting a light to send her to the other side.

"I wonder how long I'll be here," She spoke.

"You'll always be with me!" A menacing voice broke through.

Floriane felt a chill go down her back. It was the voice of that huge cat that attacked her. "I thought you were dead!" She looked around, not seeing the cat.

"It's not easy to take me down. I'll make sure that you come down with me!" Deep growls pierced through the dark.

Floriane became really scared. She still couldn't see the cat, but she couldn't see anything in the surrounding darkness. Suddenly, she was pushed forward. "No! Let go of me!" She felt her shoulder being grabbed, causing her to flip on her back.

She was face-to-face to the cat again. His red eyes were furrowed, smiling and showing his sharp teeth. "Now why would I let go of such precious prey?" He opened his mouth so fast that Floriane felt its hot breath. Floriane raised her arms to her face and closed her eyes. A loud roar pierced her ears, but she didn't feel the cat's paws on her shoulders. She opened her eyes, with her hands still in front of her face.

* * *

Some light tried to get through her thin fingers. She moved her hands, seeing a huge pink curtain. It surrounded all around her and above her. Floriane became very confused. She put her hands to her side. It was very soft to the touch. Her eyes bounced back and forth. She pushed down to sit up. A sharp pain slapped her back.

"Ow!" She yelled, touching her back. "What the..?" Floriane didn't feel her bare back. She looked down at her body, seeing a light blue nightgown on her body. It wasn't only the nightgown that surprised her.

Floriane saw that she was in a bed. Everything on the bed was pink, including the pillows. Realizing she was in a bed, Floriane came to the conclusion that the pink curtain was the canopy. She flung the rose-pink blankets off her body and swung her legs over. Yanking the curtain open, a bright light shone in her face. It caused her temporary blindness, but a few blinks helped her adjust. What she saw almost stunned her. Floriane couldn't believe it!

She was in a beautiful room. The walls were a deep purple and the carpet was a lovely shade of royal blue. There was a window with a built-in seat, as if she wanted to sit and look out the window. She immediately stood up, but yelled out in pain. The sharp pain returned and brought her down to the carpet.

 _I forgot about this damn injury._ Floriane reached and held her back. Suddenly, a realization came to her. _Wait a minute, I removed that bandage. So why does my back feel dry?_ She looked at her hand. It was dry; no sign of blood.

Floriane grabbed the nightgown and tore it off. She looked down and saw another bandage on her stomach. _All right, now this one is wrapped differently, but it won't matter!_ She grabbed the bandage and tore it.

Piece by piece, she pulled off, but to her surprise, she couldn't remove the whole bandage. "What kind of bandage is this?" She growled and tossed the bandage piece in her hand. She turned and, using the bed for support, stood back up. It was slower this time. She walked to the end of the bed and saw the rest of the room.

There were shelves of books, a desk for reading or writing, rolls of paper wrapped in a wooden box, a huge fireplace with a dark mantle and two doors. One door was a meadow green and the other was forest green.

"Maybe one of those doors lead out of here." Floriane opened the meadow green door.

The floor seemed to made of dark blue stone, but it seemed so smooth. A copper bathtub stood in the middle, filled to the brim with steaming water. Towels lined up on one wall, like guards at their post. A wide vanity stood on the opposite side of the towel wall. On the last wall, opposite of Floriane, was a small window with golden curtains. Floriane walked past the tub and went over to the vanity. There were different kinds of combs and brushes. Little tin containers were filled with different cosmetics that Floriane knew her half-sisters would enjoy.

"All right, maybe the other door leads out." She left the room and walked to the forest green door. She opened it and saw it wasn't the way out either.

It was a closet, filled with gorgeous dresses and shoes in different colors. Hats with different designs rested on shelves. One had feathers on the top. Another had flowers sewn in. A third had leaves on the rim.

Floriane became worried and very angry. Slamming the forest green door, she turned to look around the room. There was no other door, which meant one thing.

"I'm trapped in a room I have no intentions of using!" She yelled, not expecting anyone to answer her. "Who did this?"

She ran over to the desk and pushed the box of paper over! Floriane was too angry to feel any pain. She was even ready to tip the desk over. She grabbed the legs and pushed the desk. It crashed, causing the drawers to fling open. Something fell out of the drawer and rolled off. Floriane grabbed the item to see what it was. It was a rolled up paper with a snowy-white rope.

"That blasted monster! What does he want now?"

Floriane turned to the fireplace and threw it in the fire. The flames popped and changed from orange to blue. Floriane's anger turned to fear. She jumped backwards and the flames whooshed out at her. The paper and the rope laid in front of her on the carpet. It was if the fire spat the paper out at her.

Floriane stared at the paper. She was still feeling angry, but after seeing the fire spit the paper back out, it was enough to convince her that she had to read it. She took the paper, removed the rope and unraveled it.

* * *

 _'I can only guess your reaction when you found yourself in this room. Eleanor told me on how you were planning to die to save your mother, Saffi. Even though I would rather have my father do this himself, I deeply apologize for everything. In all honesty, I'm just as angry as you are with my father. He shouldn't have threatened your mother. I also knew that it will take a lot to earn your forgiveness, but I'll do what I have to do. Had I known who you really were, I wouldn't have been so awful towards you. I never wanted a bride. I just wanted a friend._

 _Since I had an idea about how you would treated me if I tried to meet you face-to-face, I magically put you in this room. If there's anything missing or if you want anything, leave a note on the desk. If you like, you can also write a letter and I can send it to your family. I plan to send a gift to your family to try to make amends._

 _I also believe you saw that you can't leave the room. With you being as stubborn as you are, or unselfish, I couldn't let you go back to that dungeon. So, you're going to remain in this room until you are completely well. The bandage will never come off until your body is healed. When it does, the door out of the room will magically appear. Your meals will also appear, and disappear when you're done eating._

 _I'll do everything I can to earn your forgiveness. I would also like to earn your friendship, but I think forgiveness will be enough._

 _Roden'_

* * *

Floriane blinked her eyes and dropped the letter. "So, he only wanted a friend? Well, I suppose I can understand why his father would bribe someone for that, but he shouldn't have lied." She then sighed, "I want to be angry and yet, I'm feeling sad. Well, there's only one way to see if he's telling the truth, despite this damn bandage." She looked back at the tipped desk. A blank container rested on the carpet next to the desk.

 _The carpet must've protected it from breaking._

Floriane picked it up, recognizing it as a ink container. Looking in the other drawers, she found a feather quill. With the desk on its side, Floriane took a small sheet of paper and sat down at the mantel. Floriane groaned, now feeling the pain in her back, as she wrote her family's letter.

 _He better be telling the truth. If not, I don't care how friendly he is._

When she finished, she placed the letter on the desk's side. Floriane became tired from being angry and her body was weakening. She went back to the bed and closed the canopy. Staring at the curtain's hanging knot, Floriane just waited for rest to take over.

 _He better be true._


End file.
